We should resist dangerous effort to limit health care coverage
WHEN A PERSON is first diagnosed with epilepsy their world is turned upside down. The questions come fast and furious. What does this mean for my life? Will I die from this? Can I pass this along to my children? Why me? Can this disease be managed, and will I still be able to participate in life and all that is important to me?
The answer to that last question is critical because everything suddenly seems very elusive. It can truly be frightening.
The reality is that, yes, nowadays the majority of people with epilepsy can live their lives with some amount of normalcy, thanks to innovative medical therapies that are on the market and others that are in development. But, as with many diseases that are rare or chronic conditions like MS, cancer, and cystic fibrosis, the specialty medicines needed to control—or hopefully someday cure—them can be expensive. It takes years, sometimes decades, of research and clinical trials (many which fail) to bring a successful drug to the market, and hope to millions of people.