Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, millions are uninsured, and the price of health insurance is crippling some of the biggest companies in the U.S. On February 24, 2006, NOW profiles a controversial plan in Maine that could be an answer for the state's working poor, but has come under fire from conservatives who say it's a waste of taxpayers' money and big insurance companies that say it just passes costs onto their customers. Find out if your state is working on new healthcare proposals with NOW's resource map. Below read more about the state of healthcare in the U.S. and around the world below. TALK BACK on the NOW message boards

MEDICARE: In 2006 Medicare Part D, the drug benefit came into effect. Read a Q and A from an expert on the plan, find out about the history of Medicare and access Medicare resources. And, contact your local Medicare office for help. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: Check on the environmental quality of your neighborhood. Find out about the risk of pesticides, chemicals, smog and mercury. An environmental checklist for your home. Plus, the environment and the community. GLOBAL HEALTH: View NOW's special on global health. Take stock of world health policy with Jimmy Carter. See the progress on TB, infant mortality, and polio. Keep a watch on AIDS worldwide. Plus take our global health quiz. BUSINESS OF HEALTH: Go inside the FDA drug approval process. Do research on the pharmaceutical industry. Explore the colorful history of drug advertising. Plus, How to be Drug Smart from the AARP.