SOUTH CAROLINA — A breast cancer patient in Charleston, SC who did not have insurance was denied treatment through a state Medicaid program because he was a man.
Only 26-years-old, Raymond Johnson of Charleston, South Carolina decided to have a exam after feeling a lump, thinking that it was probably just a cyst.

To his surprise, he was diagnosed with breast cancer, a rare condition that only one in 100 men will get per year. As a tile layer, he didn’t make enough money to afford an insurance plan.

A patient advocate, Susan Appelbaum, had him apply for the state Medicaid program, believing that he’d qualify. But he’d received a rejection notice instead, citing that the program was for women only.

With each treatment totaling around $10,000, the bills are quickly piling up.

“Right now I’m stuck with these bills and I’m trying to find a way,” said Raymond, who just underwent his second round of chemotherapy at Roper Saint Francis Hospital. Appelbaum has contacted lawmakers in hopes of getting the Medicaid rule changed.