Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Settles ‘Unsubstantiated’ Vaginal Egg Health Claims For $145,000

Morning Briefing

Lawyers in the California consumer protection case said the advertising claims behind the eggs had the potential to “affect women’s health, but Goop said it settled solely over those advertising claims. The eggs — cited for preventing a myriad of vaginal problems — are not defective, Goop added, and two of the three types can still be purchased.

‘It Was Not Even A Close Call’: Judge Blocks Texas’ ‘Catastrophic’ Fetal Burial Law

Morning Briefing

U.S. District Judge David Ezra said Texas lawmakers who enacted the legislation — which would require hospitals, abortion clinics and other providers to arrange for the burial or cremation of fetal remains regardless of the patients’ wishes — provided no “viable system” for health care providers to dispose of fetal remains in accordance with the law.

Senate Opioid Package Hits Snag As Democrats Pump The Brakes Over Provision Benefiting PhRMA-Backed Group

Morning Briefing

The provision would authorize the government to give grants to groups that focus on addiction and substance-abuse disorders, but the only organization that fits the criteria is the Addiction Policy Forum, an advocacy group funded by PhRMA. In other news on the crisis: opioid taxes, skyrocketing fentanyl deaths, treatment alternatives, insurance coverage and more.

Tired Of Shortages And High Costs, Hospital Group Launches Company To Make Its Own Drugs

Morning Briefing

Besides creating a reliable supply for its 500 hospitals, Civica aims to reduce drug prices by about 20 percent. “There are a lot of very principled generic drug makers out there … they have nothing to worry about,” said Dr. Marc Harrison, president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare. “The folks who are gouging people and creating shortages, they know who they are. And they’re the ones who should be very concerned.”

California Lawmakers Send Nine Gun-Control Measures To Governor, Including Wait Times, Lifetime Bans

Morning Briefing

The news of the legislation was hailed as far away as Parkland, Fla., the site of February’s school massacre. “If we had these bills in place in Florida, then I would not have had to go through this tragedy and lose some of my friends,” said Sari Kaufman, 16. In other gun news, the Florida commission studying the Parkland shootings is making recommendations to improve school safety.

Cities On Front Lines Of Opioid Epidemics Balk At Trump Administration’s Threats Over Safe-Injection Sites

Morning Briefing

“Just as local governments had to lead during the HIV epidemic, cities like ours will be on the forefront of saving lives in the opioid crisis,” said James Garrow, a spokesman for Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health. Justice Department officials last week promised “swift and aggressive” action against any city that set up such a site. In other news on the crisis: California’s proposed prescription drug take-back law, the opioid package in the Senate, Rudy Giuliani’s connection to Florida’s investigation into OxyContin marketing, and kratom.