A chronic condition that is still being extensively researched is fibromyalgia, which causes patients to experience high levels of physical exhaustion and pain in different parts of the body. Although the symptoms of this disorder have been recorded as early as 1824, fibromyalgia was recognized as an actual problem over a century later (Trevisan et al., 2019). Furthermore, the criteria for its diagnosis were created less than 25 years ago, in 1990 (Trevisan et al., 2019a). It is still unclear why and how fibromyalgia develops, but the statistics show that women are the most affected group (Trevisan et al., 2019).
This condition causes patients to experience stiffness, pain, fatigue, sleep problems, cognitive issues, headaches, and other issues that disrupt their daily lives (Trevisan et al., 2019). There are no evidence-based treatments that fit all patients, and fibromyalgia is likely to make people constantly tired and mentally exhausted from constant pain. Statistics for disability and morbidity are also unknown, but it is clear that the condition strongly affects individuals’ ability to perform daily activities.
When patients with fibromyalgia attempt to use the United States laws to acquire some healthcare benefits, they can encounter many challenges. For instance, access to Medicaid requires proving insufficient income, and the recognition of fibromyalgia may vary according to the specific state (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022a). Similarly, the problem of chronic illness being recognized by the state creates a barrier to accessing Medicare on the basis of having a disability (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2022b).
The diagnosis of fibromyalgia depends on self-reporting and doctors’ opinions, which makes the process of getting social security or disability status difficult (Social Security, n.d.; U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.a). Here, another major challenge is medical stigma – if available healthcare providers do not believe the patient’s story, they may not assist in getting disability status or attest to the person’s inability to work (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.b). Overall, the condition’s different views in states and the doctor’s authority over the diagnosis act as two significant challenges for patients with fibromyalgia.
References
Social Security. (n.d.). Disability.
Trevisan, L., Atlas, S., Matthews, J. R., Fritsvold, E., & Vinall, P. E. (2019). Social implications of chronic illness & disability. Bridgepoint Education.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022a). Who’s eligible for Medicaid?
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022b). Who’s eligible for Medicare?
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.a). Americans with Disabilities Act.
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.b). Family and Medical Leave Act.