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Physician-assisted suicide will become legal in California under a bill signed into law…by…Governor Jerry Brown, despite intense opposition from some religious and disability rights groups…allows doctors to prescribe medication to end a patient's life if two doctors agree the person has only six months to live and is mentally competent…Advocates for physician-assisted suicide have tried for decades to persuade California to legalize the practice as a way to help end-stage cancer and other patients to die with less pain and suffering…Opponents…said the bill would invite insurance companies to take advantage of poor patients by offering to pay for the cost of life-ending drugs but not for the expensive treatments that could save lives.

California pharmacists could soon participate in dispensing lethal medications to terminally ill patients, pending Gov. Brown’s review of the state’s End of Life Option Act…"It will be critical for pharmacists to be highly engaged with patients, their physicians, and caregivers in discussions about end-of-life considerations,"…"As a member of the health care team and expert in medication use, pharmacists may be placed in situations that require their expertise and should be conversant in the medication-related aspects of these choices, regardless of whether they choose to actively participate in end-of-life actions or not."

California’s pharmacists would be required to provide prescription drug labels or medication instructions in five languages besides English under a bill passed unanimously…by California lawmakers…AB 1073, will be sent to Gov…Brown for his signature…Upon request from patients or their caregivers, pharmacists would need to provide medication instructions in Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean, the most common languages in California after English. The instructions could be on prescription labels or in patient handouts...

According to the Congressional Budget Office, Inter Partes Review exemptions currently being sought by the pharmaceutical industry could cost Medicare $1.3 billion over the next decade… IPR system is used as an alternative way for generic companies to challenge patents, as opposed to using the federal court system. IPR challenges are generally decided within 15 to 18 months… IPR is a quicker process…On one side in this fight are major industry trade groups… On the other side: IPR advocates, including the health insurance industry…

Minnesotans could get their prescription drugs from Canada by 2017 if a state representative has his way…State Representative Joe Atkins plans to introduce a bill next legislative session that would make it legal for Minnesotans to buy…prescription drugs from Canada through their local pharmacies…"Right now – we're turning Americans into criminals. We've got Minnesotans driving up to Canada to buy these drugs at much lower prices.".. His bill would require the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services to establish the program where local pharmacies could sign up, as well as creating a web site for ordering prescriptions.

House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee on Thursday approved the Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2015…bill would essentially reverse a provision in the Affordable Care Act that significantly inhibited the use of health savings accounts or flexible spending accounts for the purchase of over-the-counter medicines…bill restores over-the-counter medications to full tax-preferred status, allowing consumers to use their HSAs or FSAs to pay for these products without first obtaining a prescription.

Americans today rightly demand more transparency...It is the foundation upon which to assess accountability, performance and trust… the Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition — a coalition dedicated to representing the exclusive legislative and regulatory interests of independent Long Term Care pharmacies and the vulnerable patients they serve — hopes to work with Congress on reforms that both increase transparency in drug pricing practices and ensure protection against Medicare Part D pricing policies that hinder LTC pharmacies’ ability to delivery quality pharmaceutical care and services...

Senate passed legislation…intended to protect small and midsize businesses from increases in health insurance premiums…The bill,…eliminates a provision of the law that would have imposed tough, potentially costly new requirements on businesses with 51 to 100 employees…"This bill will make a helpful adjustment to the Affordable Care Act for small and midsize businesses by limiting potential premium increases and letting states determine what’s best for their market,"…

As pharmacists from across the nation gathered in Washington, D.C., for meetings with their congressional representatives, ASHP President John Armitstead reminded his colleagues that they are not alone in advocating for the profession's priorities…referring to Georgia Representative Buddy Carter, the only licensed pharmacist in Congress…"Provider status is very important," emphasized Carter,..cosponsor of the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, which would recognize pharmacists as healthcare providers under Medicare in specific circumstances…Legislative Day is part of ASHP's annual Policy Week activities, which include council meetings and a trip to Capitol Hill for attendees to talk pharmacy with their elected officials.

Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, a new round of uncertainty looms for people exposed to the million tons of toxic dust that fell on New York when hijacked jets toppled the World Trade Center….Two federal programs that promised billions of dollars in compensation and medical care to sick 9/11 responders and survivors are set to expire next year, five years after they were created by Congress.,, As Friday's anniversary of the terror attacks approached, advocates for responders renewed their push for an extension…Almost 21,600 people received treatment through the World Trade Center Health Program over the past year,… officials haven't been able to say how many patients might lose access to doctors or medication if the program shuts down as planned next September.