1 Let’s Find Better Days These are good days for the MS community. There are more disease-modifying treatments available than ever before. There is finally a treatment approved for progressive MS. More Americans now have health insurance. But there are still many challenges to be faced. The costs of living with multiple sclerosis are high. Many of the best healthcare providers are not covered on commonly affordable insurance plans. Access to healthcare continues to be uncertain, either because of changes in legislation or changes in the policies and procedures insurance plans. Reliable sources of information about these issues are difficult to identify. What will it take to address these problems? You, the person with MS, can do a lot to advocate for yourself. With support from family and friends, you can achieve even more. But imagine how much more could be accomplished with the help of your doctors and healthcare providers. What if MS Focus and other organizations that serve you got involved? How much could be accomplished by the whole MS community working together to tackle a problem? On a personal level, this kind of cooperation happens every day in your community. You may have experienced it yourself. Perhaps your doctor’s office and pharmacy have worked with you to get a medication authorized through your insurance provider. Or maybe the social worker at an MS Center has contacted MS Focus on your behalf to help you locate and apply for services. On a larger scale, it may be a longer and tougher fight to bring about change, but it can happen. The creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its passage into law was the result of people with disabilities and organizations that represent them working together to educate and persuade lawmakers. Other federal legislation protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in the areas of housing, transportation, and education also came about through this type of advocacy. Today, the fight is focused on access to the best healthcare for people with disabilities. Whetheryou’re trying to improve your own life or the lives of millions, byworking together, we can bring about real change. Together, let’s find better days.