- CFI urges its supporters to oppose RFK, Jr. as HHS Secretary.
- Excellent documentary about vaccine hesitancy available free.
- SCOTUS rejects RFK, Jr.âfounded groupâs effort to protect doctors spreading COVID-19 nonsense.
- FTC finds funeral homes frequently fail to disclose prices over the phone.
- Gynecologist who promoted Christianity to his patients surrenders license.
CFI urges its supporters to oppose RFK, Jr. as HHS Secretary. The Center for Inquiryâs Office of Public Policy has issued an Action Alert asking its supporters to join in opposing the nomination of health misinformation-spreader Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The web page includes examples of Kennedyâs egregiously false claims regarding public health matters. âAmerica simply deserves better leadership on health,â says Azhar Majeed, the CFIâs Director of Government Affairs.
Excellent documentary about vaccine hesitancy available free. âShot in the Armâ is an 87-minute documentary from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy and Executive Producer Neil deGrasse Tyson. The documentary explores vaccine hesitancy historically and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes, as voices of reason and science, Paul Offit, M.D., Peter Hotez, M.D., and Anthony Fauci, M.D., and exposes the cynicism, mendacity, and vaccine fear-mongering of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Del Bigtree, Andrew Wakefield, and others. The documentary initially aired on PBS on November 9, 2024. It is now available to stream at no charge on pbs.org and via the free PBS app. It is also available for iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
SCOTUS rejects RFK, Jr.âfounded groupâs effort to protect doctors spreading COVID-19 nonsense. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan has rejected an emergency request by Childrenâs Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and other plaintiffs to protect doctors under investigation by the Washington Medical Commission for allegedly spreading COVID-19 misinformation. The plaintiffs, including Richard Eggleston and Thomas Siler, who are subject to investigations, claim any investigations seeking to sanction doctors for their views about the COVID-19 virus would violate free-speech rights under the Constitutionâs First Amendment. Lower courts have declined to impose injunctions blocking the Commission investigations. In declining to impose an injunction, a federal judge wrote Eggleston and Siler spread false coronavirus information including that vaccines were ineffective. [Hurley L. Supreme Court rejects RFK Jr. groupâs attempt to protect anti-Covid-vaccine doctors from investigations. NBC News, Nov 20, 2024]
FTC finds funeral homes frequently fail to disclose prices over the phone. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff have issued a 28-page report detailing key findings from the agencyâs first-ever undercover Funeral Rule phone sweep. In the report, they list several funeral providers who failed to provide pricing information as required by the FTCâs Funeral Rule. [Calling for information about funeral pricing: An FTC staff review of the consumer experience when contacting funeral providers over the phone. Federal Trade Commission, Nov 20, 2024] According to the report:
- FTC staff reviewed calls placed to 278 randomly selected funeral providers from the largest, middle, and smallest metropolitan and micropolitan areas in the country from February 2023 through December 2023.
- For each of the randomly selected funeral providers, staff made up to three attempts to reach the provider by phone during business hours (9:00 a.m.â5:00 p.m.), and up to three attempts outside of business hours.
- On the calls, staff asked for pricing information, typically for direct cremation, cremation and a memorial service, and cremation and a viewing.
- Staff were unable to obtain price information after business hours from 73 funeral providers (26% of all funeral providers called).
- Staff were unable to obtain price information from 21 providers (7% of all funeral providers called) during business hours.
- After business hours, staff either had to call more than once or wait for a return call from nearly 70% of the funeral providers called during the sweep.
- During business hours, staff had to call multiple times or wait for a return call from about 30% of the funeral providers.
- Half of the funeral providers called answered at least some questions about pricing with estimates or ranges, rather than actual prices.
- At least 33% of the funeral homes provided package pricing for at least one service on a call (such as cremation with a viewing), without giving itemized price information for that service.
- At least 37 funeral providers quoted different prices for the same services on different calls.
[FTC staff issues report on undercover Funeral Rule phone sweep. Federal Trade Commission press release, Nov 20, 2024]
The FTC advises consumers researching funeral costs by phone to:
- Ask the funeral provider about the types of services they offer, how much these services cost and whatâs included in the price. If they offer a package of goods and services, ask about itemized prices. They must let you buy only the services you want and need.
- Ask if there will be other costs. For example, fees to transport the body, get required permits or death certificates, or place obituary notices.
- If a funeral provider wonât give you accurate price information over the phone, try calling another provider.
[Puig A. Calling a funeral home about prices and services. FTC Consumer Alert, Nov 20, 2024]
Gynecologist who promoted Christianity to his patients surrenders license. Following a 35-year medical career, Lucien O. Cox, M.D., who practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Los Angeles, has signed a Stipulated Surrender of License and Order. He is alleged to have committed unprofessional conduct, gross negligence, and repeated negligent acts. He is also alleged to have kept inadequate or inaccurate records. One of the patients was a 63-year-old woman who had an elective abortion in 1987 and had come in for a routine Pap smear. Cox allegedly questioned her about details of her pregnancy and asked her if she had âJesus in her life.â She replied she wasnât religious and alleged: (a) Cox followed up with asking her if she wanted to âgo to heaven avoid the devil,â (b) stated âthe devil is ruling the world,â and âI was like you when I was young and I will teach you about Christianity.â He is said to have continued this line of conversation for approximately 15 minutes, during which he encouraged her to attend his Bible study class, one that offered counseling for women who suffer from guilt following an abortion. Cox allegedly also failed to perform appropriate breast cancer screening on that patient and failed to warn her prior to providing a bimanual exam. In his treatment of the other patient, he allegedly attempted to examine her uterus through her rectum without warning her first. [Reyes EA. L.A. gynecologist accused of unwanted âreligious counselingâ surrenders license. Los Angeles Times, Nov 6, 2024]
Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H., with help from Stephen Barrett, M.D. It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; other news items; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; research tips; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. The Digestâs primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips. Items posted to this archive may be updated when relevant information becomes available. To subscribe, click here.
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