WASHINGTON – In a legal opinion that could help many thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, drug manufacturers were told Tuesday that they can continue giving free medicine to poor people even if they are enrolled for the new drug benefit.
Each year, large drug companies give millions of free prescriptions to the poor. However, most of the drug companies said they would discontinue this practice for senior citizens now that they could get coverage through Medicare.
In particular, the drug companies were concerned that continuing to operate their patient assistance programs for Medicare beneficiaries would violate federal anti-kickback laws.
Dan Levinson, Department of Health and Human Services inspector general, clarified his position on Tuesday that “lawful avenues exist for pharmaceutical manufacturers to give assistance to financially needy patients, including Medicare beneficiaries.”
N.Y.: Dozens stranded in cable cars
Dozens of people in two cable cars were left hanging above the city’s East River for hours on Tuesday when the system lost power because of a mechanical problem. Both cars of the Roosevelt Island Tramway, which shuttles commuters and tourists between Manhattan and nearby Roosevelt Island, stalled at 5:15 p.m., stranding about 70 people. At midnight, rescue efforts were under way. No injuries were reported.
Maine: Sex offender registry online
The Department of Public Safety on Monday restored its Web-based sex offender registry following the Sunday slayings of two convicted sex offenders and the suicide of the alleged killer, Canadian Stephen Marshall. Authorities said Marshall researched nearly three dozen names, including the two slain men, on Maine’s electronic sex offender registry, which includes addresses and photos of convicted offenders.
Iowa: Mumps cases swell by 200
The number of reported cases of mumps this year has climbed to 815 in Iowa, the state at the center of the nation’s biggest epidemic in almost two decades. Iowa’s caseload jumped more than 200 in the past week, though some of the increase consisted of older cases that had been stuck in a backlog of paperwork, the Iowa Department of Public Health said Tuesday.
Missouri: Fatal workplace shooting
Herbert Chalmers Jr. killed the mother of his child Tuesday in St. Louis, then went to the catering company where he once worked and fatally shot two women and himself, police said. Police and co-workers described him as a disgruntled former employee. Several employees said he had been fired.
Georgia: Inmate fees to be repaid
Clinch County has agreed to repay the $18-a-day room and board fee it charged jail inmates who were behind bars awaiting trial. A total of $27,000 will be returned to people who paid the fees from 2000 to 2004.
Child marriage loophole closed
Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation Tuesday that closes a loophole in Georgia state law that allowed couples of any age to get married without parental consent in the case of a pregnancy. The legislation was prompted by the case of a pregnant, 37-year-old woman who married a 15-year-old boy last year. Lisa Lynnette Clark pleaded guilty in March to statutory rape and was sentenced to nine months in prison. Days before her arrest in November, she married the boy. Clark gave birth to a son.
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