Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who has been diagnosed with pneumonia, is applying for free medical care through a federal program for emergency workers and others exposed to toxins following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to his lawyer.
More than 152,000 people have been enrolled in the initiative, the World Trade Center Health Program, which pays for medical research and provides free medical care to people affected by the terrorist attacks. Beneficiaries have access to doctors who specialize in Sept. 11-related illnesses, and the patients don’t face co-payments or deductibles.
Now I fully understand why everybody is negative towards him getting this care. And I fully get why everyone hates his existence completely.
That being said, if Giuliani never did anything after his mayoral term, he would be fondly remembered today. There was a time when he was remembered as the hero that held NYC together during and after 9/11. If he just stayed out of politics after that, and was only remembered the 9/11 mayor, he would actually have a legacy worth remembering.
But he didn’t. He got back in the spotlight. He did everything wrong after that. He’s become an embarassment, and a joke. He’s basically a grifter at this point.
HOWEVER…he was still present at many 9/11 media sites, including the site of the destroyed towers in the days when asbestos was still in the air.
It took Jon Stewart to get this program approved. I’m unclear if Giuliani stood against it. I don’t think he did. But regardless, if anyone deserves this program, it’s the first responders. After that, second in line should be medical staff that helped during 9/11. After that would be Giuliani. I feel he should be low on the priority list, but still on the list. He DID do a lot to help NYC at that time.
With all that out of the way, I feel like everybody should have 100% free healthcare at all times.