Health care act only chips away at goal

Health care act only chips away at goal

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

Swan Lockett had high hopes that President Barack Obama’s health overhaul would lead her family to an affordable insurance plan, but that hasn’t happened.

Instead, because lawmakers in her state refused to expand Medicaid, the 46-year-old mother of four from Texas uses home remedies or pays $75 to see a doctor when she has an asthma attack.

“If I don’t have the money, I just let it go on its own,” Lockett said.

The federal health care overhaul has provided coverage for millions of Americans, but it has only chipped away at one of its core goals: to sharply reduce the number of people without insurance.

President Barack Obama announced last week that 8 million people have signed up for coverage through new insurance exchanges, but barriers persist blocking tens of millions of people around the nation from accessing health care.

Powdered alcohols have no approvals

NEW YORK

Don’t expect powdered alcohol to hit store shelves anytime soon.

A product called “Palcohol” gained widespread attention online in recent days after it was reported that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the powdered alcohol, including vodka and rum varieties. But a representative for the federal bureau, Tom Hogue, said in an email to The Associated Press late Monday that the approvals were issued in error.

Search group sues FAA over drone use

HOUSTON

A Texas-based group involved in searches for missing persons around the nation has filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to set aside an order prohibiting the nonprofit organization from employing drones in its work.

A fleet of four unmanned model aircraft used by Texas EquuSearch has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration until the agency develops rules that allow for the commercial use of unmanned aircraft.

The lawsuit filed on Monday in a Washington, D.C., appeals court says there is no basis in law to prohibit the operation of model aircraft for humanitarian search and rescue activities.

FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the agency did not have an immediate response to the lawsuit.

The FAA ordered Texas EquuSearch in February to stop using drones in its searches.

Associated Press