28 March 2008

Manchin Moves Ahead with Private-Public Drug Plan

Gov. Joe Manchin is proceeding with an earlier-announced partnership with drug companies to increase the amount of free prescription drugs available to uninsured West Virginians, The Associated Press reports.

"Drug companies have long donated medications to free clinics, but the West Virginia Rx program is being touted as a major streamlining of the process, which hopes to get more medications to more patients quicker," AP's Tom Breen explains.

But gaps in the system persist, says Perry Bryant, executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care.

Bryant told Breen "that the number of West Virginians without prescription drug coverage is about twice the number of uninsured, meaning that as many as 250,000 residents are insured by plans that don't include medication."

MetroNews also has details from the plan.

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