In his final push for health care reform, Obama has been turning to Natoma Canfield, a leukemia-stricken woman in Ohio who watched her insurance premiums skyrocket. Here's video of the president's speech in Ohio yesterday. Skip to 4:45 to hear Natoma's predicament.
It's a genuinely sad tale, but it's also not the entire story. Fox News checked with Cleveland Clinic, the medical center treating Canfield. A spokesman said that Canfield wouldn't be left out on the streets because of her leukemia. In fact, she was likely eligible for a host of options, including Medicaid and charity.
Lyman Sornberger, executive director of patient financial services at the Cleveland Clinic, said "all indications" at the outset are that she will be considered for assistance."She may be eligible for state Medicaid ... and/or she will be eligible for charity (care) of some form or type. ... In my personal opinion, she will be eligible for something," he said, adding that Canfield should not be worried about losing her home."Cleveland Clinic will not put a lien on her home," he said.
Obama lied about Canfield losing her home, but he also lied when he made her out to be helpless. Ohio has fairly generous Medicaid requirements for low-income individuals. We can't be sure how much money Canfield makes or has made, but she likely qualifies for something. Lack of knowledge about Medicaid eligibility is a serious problem plaguing the health care system. According to the Independent Institute, of the 47 million people who allegedly don't have health insurance, around 10 million qualify for Medicaid assistance and don't know it. Medicaid was established for the express purpose of helping low-income American afford health care. Obama could have pointed this out to Canfield. Instead he chose to use her condition for his own political purpose to promote health care reform.
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