Brickbat: Declared Dead
(Roman Kosolapov | Dreamstime.com)
In Pace, Florida, the Social Security Administration mistakenly declared Patsy Rosher dead after her husband died, which led to termination of her Social Security, Medicare and supplemental insurance benefits just as she was diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer. Doctors told Rosher she no longer had coverage, and when she went to a Social Security office, she was told the ongoing government shutdown meant the agency couldn't immediately fix the error.