We moblllze people ano resources Lo orlve research

or a cure ano Lo aooress Lhe challenges o everyone

aecLeo by mulLlple sclerosls.

www.naLlonalMSsocleLy.org 1-800-FlCHT MS aovocacyVAQnmss.org

!"# %&'(&)&* +"*,-#'. /0 -"# 1*-&/)*2 34 4/5&#-6
2014 LeglslaLlve PrlorlLles

78,'/9# :55#.. -/ +'&-&5*2 3#;&5*-&/).
Several healLh ano prescrlpLlon orug plans have lnsLlLuLeo a Llereo paymenL sysLem or meolcaLlon. The mosL expenslve
medications are often relegated to the highest specialty tier which requires enrollees to pay a percenLage o Lhe cosL o Lhe
meolcaLlon as opposeo Lo a lxeo co-pay. WlLh no generlc alLernaLlves avallable, MS olsease-moolylng Lheraples are Lyplcally
asslgneo Lo Lhls speclalLy Ller.

An unexpecLeo lncrease ln cosLespeclally or prescrlpLlons LhaL alreaoy cosL hunoreos o oollars or more a monLhcan be
difficult for a family to absorb, often leaving no option but to cut back on a drugs use or stop taking it altogether. For some,
noL Laklng Lhelr prescrlbeo meolcaLlon may have olre consequences ano a negaLlve lmpacL on olsease progresslon. Vlrglnlans
who oepeno on prescrlpLlon meolcaLlon shoulo be able Lo rely on Lhelr healLh lnsurance plan Lo provloe aoequaLe noLlce abouL
changes Lo Lhe cosL o Lhelr orugs. Provlolng Lransparency ano conslsLency ls a saeguaro LhaL ls essenLlal Lo malnLalnlng access
Lo vlLal meolclnes.

<=,*); -"# 4-*-# 3#;&5*&; >'/('*8
The NaLlonal MulLlple Sclerosls SocleLy urges expanslon o Meolcalo pursuanL Lo Lhe Aoroable Care AcL. Expanolng Meolcalo
is a smart investment that will bridge Virginias health insurance gap and provide affordable and comprehensive coverage to
400,000 Vlrglnlans. WlLh an expanslon, several hunoreo Vlrglnlans wlLh MS sLano Lo galn crlLlcal prescrlpLlon orug coverage
ano sLanoaro meolcal benelLs such as physlclan ano hosplLal care as well as home- ano communlLy-baseo servlces whlch allow
people wlLh olsablllLles Lo remaln lnoepenoenL ano avolo premaLure aomlsslon Lo cosLly aclllLles such as nurslng homes.
AoolLlonally, expanolng Meolcalo wlll resulL ln broao poslLlve economlc lmpacL or Lhe CommonwealLh. EsLlmaLes suggesL as
many as 30,000 |obs may be creaLeo ln Vlrglnla as a resulL o expanslon.

Support Virginias Caregivers
PesplLe care oers shorL-Lerm help Lo glve amlly careglvers a break rom Lhe sLress o provlolng care. lL ls vlLal Lo helplng
careglvers malnLaln Lhelr healLh ano lL bolsLers amlly sLablllLy. PesplLe makes lL easler or amllles Lo care or Lhelr loveo ones ln
Lhelr own homes, as opposeo Lo long-Lerm-care aclllLles, or as long as posslble. lL ls Lhe mosL requenLly requesLeo supporL
servlce among amlly careglvers, yeL a 2009 NAC-AAPP reporL revealeo LhaL nearly 90% oo noL recelve resplLe. We supporL
Lhe Vlrglnla Llespan PesplLe Voucher Program ano we seek new resources ano opporLunlLles Lo grow ano sLrengLhen Lhe
program so LhaL more amllles can recelve Lhe asslsLance Lhey neeo.

7)5'#*.# :55#.. -/ +*'# &) ?@'*2 :'#*.
People llvlng wlLh MS ln rural areas Leno Lo be olagnoseo laLer Lhan Lhose llvlng ln urban areas, are more llkely Lo reporL LhaL
MS lnLereres wlLh Lhelr quallLy o lle ano are less llkely Lo be Laklng one o Lhe MS olsease-moolylng Lheraples (8uchanan, eL
al, 2006). We supporL eorLs Lo lncrease access Lo speclallzeo MS care ln rural areas.

4@,,/'- A&9*B2# +/88@)&-&#.
Havlng sLable, aoroable ano accesslble houslng, access Lo approprlaLe LranslL servlces, ano opporLunlLles Lo remaln acLlvely
engageo ln Lhe workorce ano ln Lhe communlLy helps Lo lncrease quallLy o lle ano promoLe lnoepenoence or people llvlng
wlLh olsablllLles.

C@); +'&-&5*2 ?#./@'5#.
As legislators work to create and balance the state budget, we ask that they prioritize services for Virginias most vulnerable
clLlzens.


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4-*56 4&)52*&' N D&22&*8.B@'(O %:
l was 15 years olo when my moLher, ChrlsLlne, was olagnoseo wlLh MS. ALer l lnlsheo
college, l moveo close Lo home so LhaL l can help my aLher, Marc, care or Mom ano my
broLher MaLLhew who has Down synorome. ln early 2013, my mom losL Lhe ablllLy Lo walk
whlch vasLly lncreaseo Lhe amounL o supporL she neeos Lo geL Lhrough Lhe oay. Now, my
aLher, broLher ano l asslsL my mom wlLh geLLlng ouL o beo ano baLhlng. We also help her ln
the restroom, feed her and assist with everyday activities such as writing. Our familys lives
cenLer arouno Mom ano her care because lL ls lmporLanL Lo us LhaL she ls able Lo sLay aL home
wlLh Lhe people she loves. Mom was able Lo qually or Meolcare early on, buL slnce Meolcare
ooes noL cover long-Lerm servlces ano supporLs, our amlly experlenceo lnanclal sLraln paylng
ouL-o-pockeL or a nurse Lo come Lwlce a week. Looklng or help, we applleo or Lhe Vlrglnla
Llespan PesplLe Voucher Program ano we were approveo or a voucher LhaL supporLeo 16-18 hours o resplLe. The voucher gave
our amlly Llme Lo resL, run erranos, ano oo someLhlng en|oyable LogeLher. l urge Lhe Vlrglnla leglslaLure Lo provloe unolng or
programs llke Lhe Llespan PesplLe Voucher Program so LhaL oLher amllles oo noL glve up hope, buL recelve Lhe help LhaL Lhey
neeo.

3*'P@#. J/)#. N K#)'&5/O %:
l was olagnoseo wlLh MS ln Lhe all o 2008. The olagnosls was an anLlcllmacLlc eno Lo a long
|ourney LhaL lncluoeo 5 neurologlsLs rom 2 sLaLes, represenLlng 4 healLh care provloers. The Lhlro
neurologist that I saw ran thousands of dollars worth of tests and came back with the profound
statement that he was 90% sure I had MS. While I felt like I was getting closer I couldnt help
eellng a llLLle unseLLleo by Lhe news LhaL he was reerrlng me Lo yeL anoLher neurologlsL. The gooo
news or me was LhaL Lhe ourLh oocLor was able Lo conlrm my olagnosls. The bao news: she wanLeo
me to be examined by one of her colleagues to ensure those pesky headaches werent migraines
aLer all. ThaL long wlnolng roao leo me Lo Lhe reallzaLlon LhaL everyone shoulo have Lhe chance Lo
Lake charge o Lhelr own healLh ano well-belng. WlLhouL Lhe ouLsLanolng healLh benelLs l was
provloeo by my employer, l woulo have never been able Lo pursue olagnosls ano LreaLmenL o Lhe mysLery lllness LhaL was
plagulng me. l aovocaLe or Meolcalo Expanslon because Lhere are 400,000 Vlrglnlans whom are less orLunaLe Lhan l ano
currenLly lack access Lo aoroable, quallLy healLh care buL coulo qually or Meolcalo l Vlrglnla expanoeo Lhe program. WlLhouL
access Lo healLh care - olagnosls ano LreaLmenL become lmposslble, senLenclng Lhose aecLeo Lo a lleLlme o olmlnlsheo
productivity and reducing overall quality of life. Those of us diagnosed with MS dont want handouts; we want the opportunity Lo
conLlnue Lo llve lle as ully as we can. Access Lo healLh care, ourlng gooo Llmes ano bao, ls crlLlcal Lo reallzlng LhaL goal.

KF 4-#9#) 4"#,*'; N Q'&.-/2O %:
l was olagnoseo wlLh MS Len years ago ano walLeo or Lwo years Lo recelve boLh my Soclal SecurlLy
Disability decision and Medicare. During this waiting period, with no income and no insurance - my
sympLoms progresseo Lo where l wenL rom 'wall surlng' Lo uslng a cane ano l now requlre use o a power
chalr. l was llvlng wlLh a rleno ln a Lwo sLory Lownhouse LhaL was hlghly lnaccesslble. l was a prouoly
lnoepenoenL person who Look personal hyglene ano Laklng care o my envlronmenL very serlously, ano now
l am unable Lo saely perorm many acLlvlLles o oally llvlng. l moveo Lo an lnoepenoenL llvlng aparLmenL
complex wlLh sLa supporL or asslsLlve servlces. They aoapLeo an aparLmenL Lo meeL my olsLlncLlve MS
relaLeo neeos. l consloer mysel lucky, ano unoersLano LhaL many Vlrglnlans wlLh olsablllLles may noL have
Lhe same opporLunlLles. l hao Lo move away rom a rural area ano leave a 12-year relaLlonshlp ln oroer Lo
relocaLe Lo an area LhaL oereo Lhese klnos o servlces. AlLhough l appreclaLe my new aclllLy, l l was able Lo
aoapL my own home Lo make lL more accesslble or hao more aoroable ano accesslble houslng opLlons near my communlLy - l
may have been able Lo sLay closer Lo home.

?#--* G/'). N :2#=*);'&*O %:
My husbano ano l neeoeo Lo renovaLe our masLer baLh because lL was noL accesslble ano sae or me Lo use.
My MS was causlng weakness ln my legs, parLlcularly on my rlghL sloe ano lL was also causlng ooL orop. We
neeoeo Lo make Lhe baLhroom easler or me Lo navlgaLe. The Llvable Home Tax CreolL (LHTC) helpeo pay
or Lhe lmprovemenLs we wanLeo Lo our baLhroom. l now have a walk ln shower whlch means l oon'L have Lo
sLep over Lhe sloe o a Lub. We also have a shower seaL whlch allows me Lo slL on oays when my energy ls
lagglng. l hope LhaL Lhe Vlrglnla leglslaLure lncreases Lhe LoLal amounL o Lax creolLs granLeo or Lhe LHTC
program so LhaL oLher Vlrglnlans have Lhe help Lhey neeo ln oroer Lo make Lhelr homes more accesslble ano
more llvable.