HEALTH

PacifiCare to Recommend Merck’s Chickenpox Vaccine: After pressure from state and consumer groups, the Cypress-based managed-care provider said starting April 15 it will add the vaccine to its immunization schedule for children and others at high risk of contracting the disease. The state said last week it was checking to see if PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. was in violation of a law regarding preventive-care treatments. The Varivax vaccine, introduced by New Jersey-based Merck & Co. in May, costs about $80 per patient. PacifiCare said it did not recommend Varivax because chickenpox is usually a mild childhood ailment and the long-term benefits of immunization had not been established.