B.C. government wants Canada Health Act changes to help reform medicare (CNews)
VICTORIA (CP) - The B.C. government positioned itself for a potential confrontation over health care on Tuesday, signalling it wants changes to the Canada Health Act to make medicare more sustainable.

States Approved for Drug Reimbursement Demonstration to Complete Medicare Transition (RedNova)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Forty-four states and the District of Columbia will participate in a program that will limit their costs and ease the transition to Medicare drug coverage for certain people who are also in Medicaid, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today.

Low-income Medicaid assistance program reopens (The Hillsboro Argus)
The Oregon Department of Human Services is reopening a federally funded program that helps low-income Oregonians pay for certain Medicaid premiums. The "QI-1" program pays the Medicare Part B premium for people with Medicare Part A and monthly income below 135 percent of the federal poverty level.