Reply #15: Does this mean my Dad might get covered?

[marions ghost]

"In addition, the plan will allow the VA health care system to enroll up to 550,000 new Priority Group 8 veterans by 2013. These are veterans who have no service-connected ailments and have incomes deemed adequate based on family size and geographic location."

My Dad is an 82 year old WW2 vet in Priority Group 8. He developed a life-threatening illness recently (CML Leukemia). It is treatable very successfully by the chemo Gleevec in pill form. But the pills cost $120 each and you must take one everyday for life. People are living at least 5-8 years on this drug with good quality of life. Dad is in good health otherwise.

The VA refused my Dad because his income is around 30-35K per year. (The cutoff is 28K). So does this mean he might be able to reapply after October with some hope of getting this? That's what I'm understanding.

It's very difficult to pay 45K annually for a drug on a 35K income (and still eat and all that good stuff). Our family is in a state of despair about this. (Medicare isn't covering it in pill form--they would cover the other treatment for this, a bone-marrow transplant, but he's too old).

We may be facing the prospect of Dad not being able to buy this drug, and nobody in the family can afford to buy it for him. :cry: