A newly approved drug is being hailed as a major advance in treatment of cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease that clogs the lungs with mucus and forces patients to struggle to breathe. But it comes with a punishing price tag - about $710 per patient per day.
The treatment takes a bite out of Medicaid programs that are already facing big budget problems, and a small state like Vermont will be on the hook next year for $3.6 million for a drug expected to treat only 40 people.
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