November 18, 2003 - Congress is nearly finished with a bill that would add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and increase the role of private insurers in the program. House and Senate negotiators announced over the weekend that they had reached initial agreement on the 400 billion dollar measure. One of the criticisms of the bill is that it does too little to control the cost of presciption drugs. While it does make it easier for generic copies of brand-name drugs to get approval, it leaves in effect the current ban on the importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from other industrialized countries. The bill would allow Americans to buy drugs from Canada, but only if the FDA certifies that the drugs are safe... which the FDA has said it won't do. Minnesota Republican Congressman Gil Gutknecht favors the importation of prescription drugs and authored a House bill that would allow importation from 25 countries. He joins us now.
November 19, 2003 - Governor Tim Pawlenty is taking his prescription drug importation plan to Washington. Pawlenty will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow morning at the invitation of chairman Senator John McCain. Pawlenty is the only Republican governor to actively push the idea of importing drugs from Canada. Larry Jacobs is a political science professor at the University of Minnesota who follows the politics of health care. He's also the author of the book "The Health of Nations." Jacobs says the importation issue comes at a good time for Pawlenty.
November 24, 2003 - The Medicare prescription drug legislation moved closer to passage in Congress today, as Senate supporters turned back attacks launched by opponents. The bill would make the most sweeping changes in Medicare since its creation in 1965 by providing a prescription drug benefit for the program's beneficiaries and giving insurance companies broad leeway to offer private coverage to 40 million elderly and disabled Americans. Susan Foote is the director of the division of Health Services Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. She says that, while the numbers are shifting as the bill moves closer to passage, the benefit would require significant contributions from individual Medicare recipients.
November 24, 2003 - The prescription drug benefit in the Medicare bill under debate in the U.S. Senate is getting a mixed reaction from Minnesota seniors. Supporters say the bill would finally provide a prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, something that's been missing from the program since it was started in 1965. Opponents of the 400 billion dollar bill say the bill benefits drug and insurance companies, but does little to lower the overall cost of drugs. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
November 25, 2003 - DFL lawmakers say the budget cuts made last session are creating life-threatening problems for some people enrolled in the state's subsidized insurance plan. The 2003 Legislature cut health benefits for about 20-thousand low-income adults without children. Democrats say the problem is particularly acute for diabetics. They say medical supplies such as glucose testing strips are no longer covered, which will result in more expensive emergency room visits for many diabetics. State officials say they made a choice between offering some benefits or no benefits to adults without children. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
November 26, 2003 - Major League baseball recently announced that it will begin mandatory testing for steroids next season. The league said that between five and seven percent of its players who were tested this year tested positive -- and that level triggered a provision in the new labor agreement stipulating mandatory testing. Baseball's new "get somewhat tough" approach is just one story in a flurry of recent news involving athletes and the use of performance enhancers. Dr. Jon Hallberg is a team physician for the Minnesota Twins and medical director of the University of Minnesota primary care clinic. He says the new testing policy could reveal just how much steroid use there really is in the major league.
November 26, 2003 - Details of South Dakota Representative Bill Janklow's health are becoming central to his defense. Janklow is charged with second degree manslaughter, reckless driving, speeding and running a stop sign in the August accident that killed Randy Scott of Hardwick, Minnesota. Details of the congressman's health were unexpectedly released at a pre-trial hearing Tuesday in Flandreau, South Dakota. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland has this report:
November 26, 2003 - The diabetes defense might be unusual, but Minneapolis defense attorney Joe Friedberg says it's entirely legitimate. That was Minneapolis defense attorney Joe Friedberg.
November 26, 2003 - Minnesotans had grown used to seeing former Governor Jesse Ventura in the national limelight. But they might not have expected Governor Tim Pawlenty to draw much attention from the national press or Washington opinion-leaders. Nonetheless, Pawlenty has maintained a relatively high national profile in the last few months, particularly as he touts his plan to re-import less expensive prescription medicines from Canada. Some observers say it shows astute political instincts. Others say he's may have gone out on a limb. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.
November 27, 2003 - Each day, thousands of Minnesotans go hungry. And their numbers are growing. Officials at area food shelves say there are more hungry people this year than last. They also say individual and corporate donations are not keeping up with the increased demand. The squeeze is causing many food shelves to run a deficit and it's forcing area food banks to limit their donations. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports. <Marty Mumma and Julie Kelly take a morning stroll on Thanksgiving morning. The two women are making the rounds in the Mall of America for this year's Hunger Walk. Mumma, of Eagan, and Kelly of Minneapolis are just two of the three thousand people who are walking past the closed stores of Bed Bath and Beyond, Victoria's Secret and Sam Goody to raise money for Minnesota's six area food banks. Mumma and Kelly say they're taking part in the Hunger Walk to help the less fortunate.