ALS patients losing time and hope as they wait for insurers to cover a pricey new drug

For the past two years, Sarah Benoit has been getting around with the help of a walker, waiting for a medicine that’s out of reach.

Benoit, a former congressional aide, has ALS, a fatal neurological disease that gradually causes muscle weakness and paralysis. As it progresses, she struggles to maintain a normal life, but holds out hope that a drug called Radicava — the first new treatment in 22 years — will slow her deterioration.

Unfortunately, she can’t get the medicine, even though her doctor prescribed it last fall.

Read more from STAT: ALS patients losing time and hope as they wait for insurers to cover a pricey new drug