This is the kind of story that keeps me up nights. One year ago my 82-year-old father was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer: ph+cml. He immediately received treatment with Gleevec, a new “miracle” drug. In just two weeks he entered full remission. He is now as mentally sharp and physically active as the average 65-year-old, according to his doctor. The two pills he takes every day let him live a happy, normal life. (There are side effects, but they are mild) Here’s why I just said all this: he gets his medicine via private insurance *only.* Medicare will not cover it, and there is no other real treatment unless you count palliative care.
I think about this a lot. I hope he dies of just plain old age- and the doctor thinks he might live out a normal lifespan- before some fancy new “national” healthplan puts his treatment at risk.