Feds Sued Over Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels

Health Insurance: A Southern California health plan that a state official said "fleeced the state" out of an estimated $300 million stands to gain new customers, mostly seniors, who are facing state budget cuts that will affect their health care, Christina Jewett reports for California Watch.

Tobacco: Four of the nation's five largest tobacco companies have sued the U.S. government over a new mandate requiring graphic anti-smoking ads on cigarette packages, Jeffrey Collins reports for the Associated Press.

Environmental Health: Researchers studying Minneapolis schoolchildren have found that kids from poor neighborhoods are exposed to higher levels of environmental chemicals, including ones that are banned, than their more affluent peers, Joe Braun writes for Environmental Health News.

Pharma: A pharmaceutical "gray market" is driving up the price of scarce lifesaving drugs, with markups of up to 4,500 percent, Mary Ellen Schneider reports for Internal Medicine News Digital Network.

Consumers: New proposed federal rules would require health insurers to provide clear, concise and consistent cost information about individuals' policies in easy-to-understand language, Kelly Kennedy reports for USA Today.

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Photo credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration