Lucille Soper of Orland has tried every official she could think of to change the choice that she and her husband, Charles, have faced since his kidney transplant. As of now, the two still must decide between his autoimmune suppression medicine and destitution, but finally there may be hope.

Mrs. Soper has written to members of Congress, all levels of state government, including the Attorney General’s Office, social workers, various other agencies and the press in an attempt to find some way to get help in paying for medicine that can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year. The Sopers’ difficulty begins with the fact that Medicare covers anti-rejection medicine for only three years after a transplant. Beyond that, patients are on their own.

The saddest alternative open to this Maine family and many others was suggested by the Attorney General’s Office: Give up most of your assets and go on Medicaid. That health care program will then help. “If the amount of income that Medicaid allows your faimily to keep for living expenses is not enough,” the AG’s Office suggests, “you may want to consider applying for other aid — food stamps, a property tax abatement from your town, a tax rebate from the Elderly Householders Program, or credit for heating fuel from the home energy assistance program.”

Given the current circumstances, the advice isn’t bad, just depressing. A person arrives in need of help with a single problem and to get help he must adopt several other problems — lack of food, heating oil, etc. — that will end up costing everyone far more than if Medicare simply covered the immunosuppressive drug for a longer period. And the extra cost of food stamps, heating oil and the others doesn’t count the cost of a patient’s worsened health while waiting to be Medicaided.

The bright spot on the horizon for the Sopers and anyone else in their situation is a bill in Congress, H.R. 1061, that would eliminate the time limitation on benefits for immunosuppressive drugs under Medicare. Sponsored by Rep. Charles Canady of Florida and co-sponsored by Maine Rep. John Baldacci, the bill recognizes the medical and economic sense of extending coverage to these vitally needed drugs. Rather than encouraging people to become dependent on the state for years, the bill targets the single problem and allows Medicare recipients to remain active and productive in their communities.

H.R. 1061 has plenty of co-sponsors, but is not yet assured of passage. Maine’s delegation should watch the bill to ensure that it is quickly approved and made effective to stop the harmful and wasteful current practice. Lives, literally, are at stake over this legislation.