Do people who live in England who are disabled receive Disability income?

Can people who are uninsured or low-income receive "quality" health care?

• My name is Susan Vasile. I live on a fixed income (SSI) due to a mental disability. When I was diagnosed (Bi-polar and Clinical Depression), I stared taking psych medication and promptly gained over one-hundred pounds. A year ago I was borderline diabetic with all the health risks that accompany a diabetic condition. I decided to take control over my rapidly declining health condition. So I went to the public library in order to get internet access. Everyday for almost an entire year I researched diligently for low-cost methods to help me change my lifestyle. This was a very difficult task for two outstanding reasons. The first challenge was financial. I could not afford joining a gym or shopping at health food stores. The second reason was the lack of social support. Even at the mental health facility where I am a client, the staff understands that most of their mental health population suffers from obesity and ill-health. Yet there are absolutely no program agendas to "teach" clients how to take care of their physical health. To me this is a serious crime. Think of this. At a national and international level, health care (especially obesity and ill physical health) is a monumental concern. This problem is only exacerbated for people who are uninsured (health care) or living below the poverty level. Where do these people go to find "quality" health care information? So the question becomes an disease control question. Who statistically is researching and providing "quality" information which focuses on the unmet health care needs of low-income populations? Even more important. The question is, how are these unmet health care needs affecting the general population specifically especially in terms of disease control;. Because of my interest (and the fact that I have lost over one-hundred pounds and am in better health than when I was a teenager) I have been asked by my mental health clinic to provide a curriculum for teaching clients how to undergo the daunting challenge of changing their life-styles especially in the areas of physical and mental health. I implore government and public officials to examine this problem as it affects a population of folks who are literally ignored when it comes to promoting low-cost health care strategies. My e-mail address is [email protected] or my phone number is (818) 441-1726.

• Answer:

  Yes, they can! Just move to Britain...