It's not 7,000, but 700,000 seriously ill people who'll lose their sickness benefit

[LeftishBrit]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/21/losing-benefits-for-seriously-ill

Important article by Sue Marsh:

...Seven thousand cancer patients losing eligibility is outrageous, but an even greater scandal is that 700,000 seriously unwell people in total are affected, not just those suffering from and recovering from cancer. Many of those with fluctuating conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, schizoprenia, kidney failure, heart disease and others will also lose this £94, and it is the only state support many of them receive. Many now look set to become entirely dependent on the goodwill of a partner.

The government claims we can't afford to pay people – who have paid their national insurance contributions – who remain seriously ill for more than a year. They claim those who are this unwell will go into the employment and support allowance "support group", therefore qualifying for long-term support; but just 6% of those assessed are considered eligible for this, and everyone else will lose all their contributory ESA benefit within one year.

The government argues that we simply can't afford it, and that "these people have other forms of support". What, if any, is this support? As your article pointed out: "The means testing threshold is so low that a … patient could lose all ESA benefit if his or her partner earns more than £7,500 per year."

Could any one of us support a seriously unwell partner – possibly indefinitely – on just £7,500 a year? As Miliband pointed out: "These are people who have worked hard all their lives, who have done the right thing, who have paid their taxes and when they are in need, the prime minister is taking money away from them."...