An interview with Evva Pryror, a social worker and consultant to Miss Rand's law firm of Ernst, Cane, Gitlin and Winick verified that on Miss Rand's behalf she secured Rand's Social Security and Medicare payments which Ayn received under the name of Ann O'Connor (husband Frank O'Connor).
As Pryor said, "Doctors cost a lot more money than books earn and she could be totally wiped out" without the aid of these two government programs. Ayn took the bail out even though Ayn "despised government interference and felt that people should and could live independently... She didn't feel that an individual should take help."
Much as I hate Rand, I'm weirdly torn, here. On the one hand, it's kind of ghastly that BoingBoing is taking such extreme pleasure (the post is tagged "FUNNY") at Rand needing government money after she got lung cancer. On the other hand, Rand did get the government money under an assumed name so that she could continue to be a conservative demagogue, and so this is exactly like the hypocrisy of anti-gay preachers who turn out to be gay. So, never mind. Feel free to mock Rand with a clear conscience.
(Thanks to Slog tipper Marc.)
