When a person receives a terminal cancer diagnosis they are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. Federal policy (Publication No. 05-10043) requires a 24 month waiting period from the date of disability entitlement to become a Medicare beneficiary, if under the age of 62. The people who are the most likely to be adversely affected by this policy are people who have been continuously employed at a higher rate of pay than minimum wage. In my opinion this is an egregious example of social injustice. The more a person has paid into the Social Security System, the less likely they are to qualify for State administered income based medical benefits; therefore, leaving them unable to pay the enormous accumulation of co-pays required by private insurance companies for treatment.



