A test that only costs $5 to test a drop of blood will no longer receive funding by the state of FL after a stroke of Governor 48.9%'s veto pen.
[For years, {Heather} Smith has been fighting to have Florida add SCID to the list of genetic diseases newborns are tested for and, this year, lawmakers approved a $2 million start-up plan. However, this week Governor Rick Scott vetoed it.
"Heartbreaking, actually made me sick to my stomach," Smith says of her reaction.
Dr. John Sleasman, a USF professor and an immunologist at All Children's Hospital, also finds the veto hard to understand. "I was a little baffled," he says.
Sleasman says the screening not only saves lives but, in the long run, it would also save the state money. He says if SCID is caught early, a bone marrow transplant can cure a baby. The survival rate is very high. But after three months of age, the risks and costs skyrocket. If an infant is on Medicaid, the state can pay a million dollars for treatment and still not save the infant's life.]
http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=194308
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