CRITICAL CONDITION - JOE'S STORY

Joe Stornaiuolo, a doorman for 15 years, loses his finger, then his job, and ultimately his health insurance. Unable to afford the medication or doctor visits he needs to manage his chronic liver disease, Joe has to be hospitalized four times in one year, running up bills in excess of $60,000. When he finally qualifies for Social Security Disability, he discovers a terrible Catch-22: his income is too great to qualify for Medicaid, and there’s a standard two-year waiting period to qualify for Medicare. Despite the unflinching support and care of his wife, Dale, Joe’s condition deteriorates, and he passes away just before Christmas. With a grandchild she now must raise alone and medical bills she can never hope to repay, Dale attributes Joe’s premature death to his lack of medical coverage.