Thursday, March 29, 2012

STATE SUCCESS: SOCIETY STATE ACTION DAYS FOCUS ON HIGH COST OF MS THERAPIES

MS Activists are at it again!  MS Activists from the Arizona and California visited their local senators and representatives to discuss important measures that impact people living with MS.  

This time, MS Activists focused on the high cost of MS therapies. The high cost of prescription drugs pose a serious challenge for being living with MS. While there is currently no cure for MS, there are eight MS therapies available to people with relapsing MS that can help reduce disease activity and slow the disease’s progression. Having access to these MS therapies makes a big difference for being living with MS, but the cost of these drugs can be a significant barrier. Drugs to help manage MS can exceed $30,000 per year or more than $800 per month out-of-pocket. That’s why the Society advocates for legislation that will help ease the burden of paying for prescription drugs. 

In Arizona, MS Activists advocated for Senate Bill 1401, which would cap out-of-pocket costs for designer medications. The critical message MS Activists delivered to their state lawmakers was that action needs to be taken to ensure people can offered disease modifying drugs. Click here to watch the news coverage and learn more about the bill. 

In California, Assembly Member Fiona Ma introduced a bill that would help people with chronic disease afford expensive prescription medication. MS Activists were involved by talking to their legislators about the importance of this bill to the MS community. Click here to watch the press conference in California

This is just one more example of how MS Activists are making a difference in their home states. Congratulations to all involved – this demonstrates tremendous state leadership on an issue vitally important to people with MS.

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