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The Worth of a Life Like Mine
I wonder about that all the time
Earlier this week, House Republicans voted to pump $300 billion more into our military and defense while vowing to cut "waste" that helps vulnerable Americans the most.
It got me thinking...
People often think that all of my problems would be solved if I would "just get on disability." Unfortunately, that would limit my options even further as an advanced lipedema patient. It's already difficult enough to find healthcare providers who know or care about my disease. Dependency on the system means little to zero choice in which providers I see, and attempting to pay for medical services out-of-pocket can quickly jeopardize the measly disability benefits that take so long to be approved.
Disability is honestly my best option for reversing the progress I’ve made since beginning my treatments after my 2021 diagnosis. It’s also a shortcut to my permanent wheelchair use.
As someone with a chronic disease that commercial health insurers are already allowed to ignore and deny, I am currently among the last people our GOP politicians care about helping. I am a fat, disabled single mother who isn't making much money. A "low-value" woman.
The coverage for lipo-lymphedema patients like myself is already abysmal under…
