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OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- Democratic candidate for governor Scott Matheson says Utah ought to make it easier and cheaper for elderly people to get health care and prescriptions.
Matheson announced his strategy to achieve that goal while in Ogden yesterday with his running mate, state Senator Karen Hale.
The key goal would be to negotiate better prices for drugs, possibly by joining up with other states.
The population of those 85 and older is growing faster than any other age group in the United States. And the 2000 Census identified Utah as the sixth-fastest-growing state in the country for its 65 and older population. The Beehive State has the second-highest life expectancy, too.
Matheson also says the state's rural areas need to find ways to increase the number of doctors and nurses practicing there.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
