The Inequality and Cruel Reality Of SSI Recipients

For those who don’t know, SSI, or Supplemental Social Security, is a disability allowance provided to individuals below the age of 65 who have been declared as having a long term, debilitating disability that prevents them from working.

It is a fixed stipend awarded once monthly, but the benefactor must live in absolute poverty, without earning anything beyond their allowance. In 2021, those on SSI were living on $790.00 USD every 30 days. This amount must pay for rent, household utilities, food and additional lifestyle expenses like a telephone bill, car insurance, gasoline and prescription medications that their Medicaid health insurance does not cover. While most SSI recipients rely on Medicaid coverage to allow them access to healthcare- as they are disabled- most doctors refuse to accept this government insurance due to the excessive paperwork and processing time required before getting paid for treating a patient. This culture of discriminatory healthcare has left America’s poorest and most sickly community relying on assembly line healthcare, often misdiagnosed, rushed through appointments are put on long waiting lists for specialized care. For someone on Medicaid, finding a doctor willing to accept you is a significant challenge- as even the few physicians or clinics that do accept the insurance only allow for a certain number of Medicaid patients in…