PREPAREDNESS: States have until Aug. 1 to tell the administration if they want help buying flu drugs for a possible pandemic.

DRUG SUPPLY: The government says it will buy enough to treat 44 million people. States can buy more using federal aid.

THE PLAN: The government will pay one-fourth of the negotiated cost of Tamiflu for each state. But there is a limit on the amount each state can buy using this plan.

Source: The Associated Press