Vermont House backs Rx drug price bill

The US state of Vermont's House of Representatives has given preliminaryapproval to a bill aiming to cut prescription drug prices in the state, say Associated Press reports. The bill would: give healthcare providers more education and training on alternatives to brand-name drugs; establish a formulary; help set up more "federally-qualified health centers," whose patients would qualify for the lowest drug prices charged to participants in federal health plans; and extend the state plan providing drug discounts of 18%-30% to enrollees in the state Medicaid program.