Rudy Giuliani is hoping to have the medical bills for his pneumonia diagnosis covered through a federal healthcare program set up to assist emergency workers who responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City during 9/11, is seeking enrollment in the World Trade Center Health Program, which was established to provide free healthcare to people who suffered long-term illnesses linked to exposure to toxins after the attacks.
In the years following 9/11, firefighters and other emergency workers reported illnesses, including cancer and respiratory conditions, after breathing in carcinogens and toxic dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.
Speaking to The New York Times, Giuliani’s lawyer, Michael Barasch, said the 81-year-old’s health problems also stem from his time at Ground Zero after the attacks, making him eligible for the program.
“I’m representing him to get him into the World Trade Center Health Program so he can enjoy the same benefits of healthcare at no cost to people who have been certified with 9/11 illnesses,” Barasch said.
“Civilians like Rudy Giuliani are entitled to the same free healthcare as the cops and firefighters.”
Giuliani has since been moved out of intensive care after being hospitalized with a serious case of pneumonia. His condition was reportedly so severe that he even received his last rites.
In a May 4 X post, Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman also revealed that the former New York City mayor had been diagnosed with restrictive airway disease, which he said developed because Giuliani “ran toward the towers to help those in need.”
Elsewhere, Giuliani’s girlfriend, Maria Ryan, offered her version of what occurred on 9/11 attacks, suggesting the former mayor became “trapped” after running towards the collapsed towers to help people.
“Upon emerging from the building he was covered by white dust. He spent a lot of time at Ground Zero for months. In subsequent years he developed restrictive airway disease from the toxins,” Ryan posted.
“He remains in the hospital. He is aware of the prayers and he feels them. He is a deeply religious man. Keep the prayers coming.”
Giuliani, who was raised a Roman Catholic, has been married three times. His second marriage was annulled after Giuliani realized that his wife, Regina Peruggi, was his second cousin.
Medical experts agree that Giuliani’s restrictive airway disease diagnosis could have resulted from breathing in the massive plumes of dust and smoke following the collapse of the Twin Towers.
“His exposures at 9/11 certainly could have contributed to his pulmonary condition,” Dr. Jacqueline Moline, who has treated patients with 9/11-related illnesses since 2001, told the Times.
“It was one of the most common early conditions that we saw after 9/11, and for many people it persisted.”
Giuliani, a former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, has also faced mounting financial problems after backing the president’s false claims about the 2020 election.
He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2023, shortly after being ordered to pay $148 million in defamation damages to two former Georgia election workers.
Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss were subjected to harassment by Trump supporters after Giuliani falsely accused them of election fraud while they were counting ballots in Fulton County during the 2020 election.
