Almost 4 million Floridians will be eligible for a discount on prescription drugs under a new program unveiled Thursday by Gov. Charlie Crist. Residents who qualify will be able to save between 5 percent and 42 percent on almost every brand-name and generic drug at more than 3,000 participating pharmacies.
Citing the controversy that has embroiled its $100 million pledge for a city high school scholarship program, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center yesterday said it was dropping its request for a possible tax credit in exchange for its commitment to the Pittsburgh Promise.
Scientists blamed Alzheimer's on misfolded proteins, broken neural pathways, misprinted gene maps, and much more. For years they have laid plans to fight the disease with all of the Big Pharma firepower they could muster. But they also talked about inhaling insulin, eating turmeric, fixing vitamin deficiencies, injecting stem cells and inventing neuro-protective vaccines.
Now, annual checkups for the nearly half a million Massachusetts children on Medicaid will carry a new requirement: Doctors must offer simple questionnaires to detect warning signs of possible mental health problems, from autism in toddlers to depression in teens. Over the last several years, such questionnaires have increasingly become the standard of care in pediatric practices, but spurred by legal action Massachusetts is jumping ahead of other states by requiring the screens for all its young Medicaid recipients.
Under a bill signed into law, all pregnant women in New Jersey will be tested for HIV as part of their prenatal care unless they object. The law also requires testing for newborns if the HIV status of the mother is unknown. The new testing procedures are some of the most aggressive HIV-prevention measures in the country for pregnant women and newborns, making New Jersey one of just a handful of states with laws requiring some form of prenatal testing.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that employers could eliminate health benefits for retirees when they turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare. The new regulation allows employers to establish two classes of retirees, with more comprehensive benefits for those under 65 and more limited benefits for those older. More than 10 million retirees rely on employer-sponsored health plans as a primary source of coverage or as a supplement to Medicare.