Dear Justice,

I am a 50-plus-year-old woman recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Divorce after a miserable 20-year marriage has left me without the good health insurance I previously had. I do not qualify for Social Security, because a well-intentioned judge awarded me spousal maintenance.

Because many programs use one’s qualification for SSDI or SSI as the criteria for their help, I fall through the cracks repeatedly. I have too much money for any help and cannot afford the $480 per month for COBRA insurance, which would make my “obscenely” expensive medicine somewhat affordable. I have instead had to buy into our state’s inadequate basic health HMO, and this has put me in the hole financially.

I cannot qualify for food stamps and I have high deductibles and co-pays for my visits to Dr.s and physical therapists, etc. I am being forced to enter into a shared housing arrangement with people I hardly know.

In addition to this, I have a daughter who is over 18 but still dependent upon me since she is autistic. It is nearly impossible to live on what she receives from the state, and Social Security has so far denied her. I have tried to find work, but so far everything is either too physically demanding or I am not qualified.

When my last shipment of medication covered by my previous insurance runs out, I face the possibility that my condition will worsen and I could become unable to care for myself adequately. My doctor feels that with my medicine I could avoid most of the devastation that this awful disease causes. But at $1500 per month, I will not be able to pay the half that is not covered by state insurance.

When I wrote to [Senator] Patty Murry about my situation, she sent me a form letter, which I found extremely insulting. Maria Cantwell did not even respond. Both Democrats. Both say they are in favor of healthcare reform. Hmmm. Only one of many who are in such a situation, but my story is indicative of greater problems in our society.

– Mary