Rudy 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 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to his lawyer.
More than 152,000 people have been enrolled in 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 9/11-related illnesses, and the patients don’t face copayments or deductibles.
“I’m proud to represent him and get him the healthcare he deserves,” said Michael Barasch, an attorney who represents Giuliani.
Getting approval to receive care through the healthcare fund could allow Giuliani or his family members to seek further compensation through a separate fund for 9/11 victims.
Giuliani in recent years has struggled with financial burdens. Last year, he was ordered to pay $1.3 million to lawyers who represented him in criminal investigations. He has sought to declare bankruptcy, but in 2024, a judge dismissed the case.
When the first tower toppled, Giuliani was two blocks away. As he walked north, ash dusted his head and shoulders.
In the aftermath, he oversaw the cleanup of the collapsed World Trade Center and made frequent visits in the first three months after the attack. His leadership was hailed. But in the years that followed, examinations of his time in office showed that in the push to reopen the financial district, his administration overlooked or played down the health dangers and environmental hazards near ground zero.
In recent days, Giuliani, who turns 82 this month, was placed on a ventilator in a Florida hospital as he battled pneumonia and struggled to breathe. He was in critical condition, and, according to Maria Ryan, a former hospital administrator and close companion of the former mayor, a priest visited him Sunday evening.
But after receiving medical care, Giuliani was able to breathe on his own, and he has now been moved from the intensive care unit “and will spend some time recovering before leaving the hospital,” according to a statement that his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, released Wednesday evening.
“Civilians like Rudy Giuliani are entitled to the same free healthcare as the cops and firefighters,” Barasch said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
