A devastating mistake by the federal government has thrust a Florida woman into a nightmare of bureaucratic incompetence just as she battles pancreatic cancer. Patty Rosher, 68, has been erroneously declared dead by the Social Security Administration after the passing of her husband, leaving her with no medical coverage at the worst possible time.
This egregious error led to the immediate termination of Rosher’s Social Security, Medicare, and supplemental insurance benefits. The family discovered the grave mistake only when Rosher sought treatment for her aggressive cancer diagnosis and found that her insurance had vanished. This kind of bureaucratic breakdown is not just frustrating; it’s effectively a death sentence.
When Rosher’s daughter, Catina Lacsamana, attempted to secure survivor benefits to assist with her mother’s care after her father’s death, she was met with damning news. Payments appeared in their bank account as “pending” before being reclaimed by the government. “When my father was declared deceased, so was she,” Lacsamana says, summing up the flawed processes that have put Rosher’s life at risk.
The urgency of Rosher’s situation cannot be overstated. Facing a life-threatening diagnosis, the family visited the Social Security Administration office, only to be told their trip was in vain—there was nothing they could do due to the government shutdown. This lack of support and responsiveness from a federal agency is unacceptable.
In the face of this ordeal, Lacsamana, a nurse practitioner, is left contemplating the stark reality: paying out of pocket for her mother’s treatment while trying to rectify a federal error. With pancreatic cancer requiring immediate and aggressive intervention, delays in treatment dramatically decrease survival odds.
Desperate for assistance, the family reached out to their local congressman, Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), who swiftly pledged to intervene. “This is what we do—we pick up the phone, we call, we advocate,” Patronis stated, signaling that he will work to resolve the crisis.
While the outreach from Patronis offers a glimmer of hope, Lacsamana emphasizes the fundamental failings within the healthcare bureaucracy. “The lack of empathy from people who are really there to serve the people” is appalling. What is more alarming is that Rosher’s story is not unique; countless others face similar injustices due to a system that operates at a crawl when lives are at stake.
Each year, fewer than 10,000 Americans fall victim to being mistakenly declared dead by the Social Security Administration, leading to automatic terminations of essential benefits. The current government shutdown exacerbates the situation, with even straightforward cases getting trapped in a web of inefficiency.
As of this week, Patty Rosher remains without medical coverage and unable to commence her cancer treatment. Her family’s plight underscores a troubling reality: as the greatest country in the world, we can—and must—do better. This failure to provide timely and compassionate care to our citizens is an affront to our values and demands immediate corrective action. The Post has reached out to the Social Security Administration for comment, but this is beyond mere words; action is imperative.
