Washington D.C., January 14, 2022 — Today, the American Consumer Institute (ACI) released a report, co-authored by Steve Pociask and Liam Sigaud entitled “How Regulations Endanger the Public Health: A Review of the Evidence on E-Cigarette Risks and Benefits, and Policy Missteps.” With some lawmakers looking to impose restrictions, bans, and excessive taxes on these […]
Consumer Tips / Health
ACI Letter to U.S. Senate: Proposed Antitrust Legislation Will Harm Consumers and Small Businesses
Dear Senators, As longtime advocates for policies that increase consumer choice, boost competition, and protect consumers, the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research (ACI), a 501(c)(3) non-partisan research and educational institute, has analyzed and highlighted numerous times the negative effects the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S. 2992) would have on consumer and […]
The New Year Sees an End to Surprise Medical Bills
As Americans welcomed 2022, they had extra reason to celebrate as the No Surprises Act (NSA) became effective at one minute past midnight on January 1st, 2022. While the enactment of the NSA saw substantially less fanfare than the ball drop in Times Square, the new law represents a real win for American patients who […]
Drug Price Controls on Drugs Will Cost Patients
President Biden’s and Congressional Democrats’ Build Back Better Act attempts to lower prescription drug prices. The act includes new measures that seek to dramatically limit the costs of prescription drugs in the United States by giving government agencies immense control over setting prices. Also included are measures that would require insurance providers to pay a […]
The Economic Standard: Antitrust Proposals Could Leave Consumers Vulnerable
Throughout 2020 and 2021, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have proposed numerous new antitrust measures to alter how big tech companies operate. While these measures may be politically popular given the growing public hostility towards big tech companies, proponents of these new laws have failed to consider the substantial benefits and cybersecurity protections these companies offer to […]
Current Pell Grant Provisions Will Not Build Back Better for Low-Income and Non-Traditional Students
ACI has learned that the current iteration of the Build Back Better plan politicizes Pell Grants, a long an effective means for allowing low-income Americans access to a quality education. Under the proposed changes, nearly one million students who use their Pell Grants to attend proprietary and career colleges would be excluded from the access […]
Coalition Opposes Congressional Attempt to Stifle Lower-Priced Generic Drug Competition
A coalition of policy think tanks sent a letter to Congress warning them that proposed legislation would have severe adverse consequences on consumers by significantly impeding the market entry of generic drug manufacturers. These generic drug companies offer much lower-priced drug for patients because they compete against name brand products — sometimes saving patients 90% […]
Right to Repair Takes a First Step
Every day, Americans discard 416,000 cell phones simply because they are broken and it is often more cost-effective to purchase a new device than repair the old phone. That number equates to over 151 million discarded devices each year. The staggering number of phones that are discarded daily not only represents wasted money for consumers, […]
Real Clear Policy: Strangling Generic Drugs is the Wrong Path to Lower Prices
Lowering drug prices is a public policy objective that everyone can agree on. About 18 million patients can’t afford their prescribed medications, according to a recent poll, including nearly 1 in 5 members of the poorest households. Unfortunately, Congress’ plan to control pharmaceutical prices consists of half-baked proposals that would do serious harm to consumers, including the decimation […]
Does CHEGG Deserve a Pass?
The following is a statement from Steve Pociask, president of the American Consumer Institute: “In a recent Heard on the Street column (“Chegg Deserves a Pass”), Jinjoo Lee cites a strong balance sheet and significant international growth prospects as sources of confidence for investors in the wake of the company’s brutal third quarter earnings results. […]