UPDATE: Woman Drops to 83 Pounds After Obamacare Denies Meds

A Staten Island woman battling a neurological disease that has required four brain surgeries dropped to 83 pounds after her Obamacare plan denied her three months worth of vital medications.

Margaret Figueroa signed up for Obamacare when the plan she liked was canceled. Despite being told that her plan would cover her longstanding doctors and medicines, Figueroa’s Obamacare plan denied her medications and dropped all her doctors. In three months, Figueroa said she dropped 22 pounds and endured excruciating pain.

On Wednesday, Staten Island Advance reporter Tracey Porpora, who originally broke the story, said Figueroa’s doctor of several years, Dr. Germaine Rowe, intervened and offered free services. Dr. Rowe says she will continue to offer the pro-bono help until the provider of the Obamacare plan Figueroa purchased sorts out the confusion surrounding why EmblemHealth has yet to accept her application.

“There are a lot of patients falling through the cracks,” Dr. Rowe told the Advance. “This is one of those issues with Obamacare.”

Despite Dr. Rowe’s intervention, it remains unclear whether Figueroa will be able to continue seeing her doctor.

Figueroa’s congressman, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), also intervened on her behalf. He says he’s received at least a dozen similar complaints from Staten Island residents.

“Margaret’s brave struggle demonstrates the disastrous effects of Obamacare facing millions of Americans,” said Grimm. “My office had to personally reach out to top-level health insurance and pharmacy executives and pressure them to intervene so Margaret could see her doctors and receive the medications she needs to live a normal life.”