Denied

Simultaneously battling cancer and abandonment by her insurance company, one woman fights for her right to health care.

More about Denied from filmmaker Julie Winokur

When I met Sheila Wessenberg, she was living the American nightmare.

She had a potentially fatal illness, but because she was uninsured her life seemed expendable.

She said to me, "There is no reason why anyone should be shoved into homelessness and helplessness just to live." She was referring to the fact that she could only get publicly funded health care if she gave up her home and her car. In the meantime, her doctor had abandoned her and she had already gone seven months with no chemotherapy.

I was so horrified by the real-life cost of poor public policy that I became obsessed with all the 'Sheilas' whose lives were on the line. I realized Sheila could be any one of us—could even be me. I wanted to shout from the highest rafter that she was being dealt one of the greatest injustices I had witnessed in the 20 years I'd been a journalist.

We first published Shelia's story in The New York Times Magazine. Readers were so shocked by her suffering that they donated over $50,000 in order to help the family stay afloat. Next, we published Sheila's story in a book and exhibition called Denied, which was shared on Capitol Hill and toured to state capitols across the country.

But our work wasn't done because U.S. health care policy hadn't budged an inch. We decided we had to tell Sheila's story in film so even more people could see the shocking truth. Considering the raging debate on health care reform in Washington now, inclusion in the Media That Matters Film Festival couldn't be more relevant or more urgent.
Find out how to TAKE ACTION at http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/films/denied

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• family & society
• economic justice
• women
• health advocacy
• politics
• cancer
• denied

[Samms24f]

terrible story. Great video on why socialized health care is a good thing.

[VivekRajcoomar]

america has the $ for war,

then america has the $ for the healthcare.

[ArtFilmsAnimation]

I cant figure out why Americans are so against free health care... is a no brainer!

[harajukugrl]

The reason healthcare is such a bother in the states is when you ACTUALLY get sick the insureance company can only pay so much money without raising everyone else's rates. It's like an oxymoron you can only get healthcare when you're not sick.

[EenterE]

sad and true for many, great job

[stefharder]

Why is it so hard to get medical assistance in the U.S? Considering it's the wealthiest country on earth. They should be taking care of their people instead of killing other people.

[healthmusic]

"Of all the form of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."---Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

[healthmusic]

@VivekRajcoomar I don't think we have to wait for the war to end; HR-676 costs less than what we have now. Privatized healthcare is an extremely expensive way to distribute healthcare. Some say "Do the Math."

I say "DO THE MATH, THE USA HAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE HEALTHCARE." We can better afford less expensive systems of other countries. That would free more moneys for the war and reducing our national deficit.

[healthmusic]

@Samms24f I absolutely agree with you, an advocate for HR-676, single-payer. I prefer not to call it socialized healthcare; it is SOCIALIZED INSURANCE. Let's socialize the insurance part; make it universal. You don't lose it because you lost your job; like Bob Wessenberg and I did. You don't lose your insurance because you got sick and can't work and keep up premiums.