By MARIA FOSCARINIS

Twenty two years ago I received shocking news: I had Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system that affects primarily young people. At the age of 30 I began a long and to date successful effort to fight the disease and regain my health.  I was lucky: I had good health insurance, access to top doctors, friends and family with the wherewithal to help. I also had a good education that helped me navigate the health and insurance systems and also remain employed. I also had a home to go to after each round of chemo and, three years later, after hospital treatment for a recurrence.    “Scott” is not so fortunate. Twenty-seven years ago, at the age of 21, he lost his left leg after a car hit him.  A month earlier, he had lost his job as a forklift operator, and with that, his health insurance. Unable to afford his own home, he was living with his mother. The money he recovered from the driver of the car that hit him barely covered hospital expenses and the lawyer’s fees.

Continue reading…