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Let's remember deceased couple by restoring DPAP

December 7, 2017

Recently, I wrote about a Lewes couple that was struggling to get by following the end of the Delaware Prescription Assistance Program.

DPAP, which ended Aug. 31, provided up to $3,000 annually in prescription assistance for Delaware residents age 65 and older, whose income fell below 200 percent of the poverty line.

In the case of the Lewes couple, their annual income was $21,600. DPAP helped them and some 5,000 other Delawareans make ends meet. It cost $2.2 million out of a state budget exceeding $4 billion.

Recently, the News Journal published a story about a Kent County couple who died as the result of a murder-suicide. The 88-year-old man shot his 89-year-old wife and then himself.

Earlier, the paper had interviewed the couple about how the end of DPAP would affect them. They needed a new heater but didn't know how they would pay for it with the added medical expenses.

The wife had glaucoma. She took three different prescriptions. The costs added up and they had trouble meeting them.

To my knowledge, there was no note or comments to friends or relatives directly tying DPAP's demise to the tragic end of their 71-year marriage.

But it's hard to believe it wasn't a factor. Those facing financial ruin are often undone by their desperation.

Their story reminded me of another woman, old and alone, who wrote to the paper saying she had no idea how she would pay for her prescriptions. What happens to these people? Do we care?

Locally, we're told we can't raise taxes because it would harm the economy. If low taxes, by themselves, were the secret sauce that made economies grow, Delaware's would be among the most vibrant in the U.S.

Nationally, President Trump and congressional Republicans are celebrating a "win" that will bestow an enormous windfall to the super-wealthy.

Likely side effects of the mega-bill include 13 million people losing health insurance, multi-billion-dollar cuts to Medicare, and chaos in the insurance marketplace, including spikes in premiums. No wonder they're celebrating.

There's virtually no chance the president and Congress will correct their mistake.

But we can still correct ours. We can best remember the deceased couple by remembering those still living - by restoring DPAP.

Don Flood
Lewes

 

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