The last few months have seen a whirlwind of attacks on tobacco users. From an April proposal to ban the popular menthol cigarette flavor and prohibit all cigar flavors other than traditional tobacco to a plan to eliminate nearly all nicotine in conventional cigarettes sold in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) has been busy making a flurry of announcements. However, it was the FDA’s […]
Consumer Tips / Health
House Bill Expands Telehealth Access
More than a third of Americans live in an area with a shortage of healthcare professionals. For these 122 million people, that shortage can mean longer wait times and delayed access to essential care. For patients living in rural areas, attending in-person health appointments can also require them to pay steep travel costs while sacrificing […]
New ACI Report: Recent Causes of Inflation and Adverse Consequences for Consumers
Consumers agree that the biggest problem facing the United States is inflation, as record price increases have made it harder for families to make ends meet. This report outlines the factors that created an inflationary spiral and what can be done to help lower prices for consumers. The report’s highlights include: Increased government spending and […]
Real Clear Health: FTC May Finally Bring Down the Hammer on PBMs
Amidst rising prescription drug prices, consumers may finally be getting some much-needed relief if the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) follows through with a recent pledge to investigate Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) for anticompetitive practices. You can read this commentary in Real Clear Health.
Study Links PBMs to Medicine Overpayments
Much has been written about the role Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) play in driving up the cost of prescription brand named drugs. However, far less has been written about how PBMs current business practices lead U.S. consumers, employers, and the government to pay too much for what should be low-cost drugs. Now a new paper, […]
How to Report Unwanted Spam Texts
With spam text messages on the rise and scammers increasing utilizing them for elaborate schemes, consumers should know how to report them. Unwanted text messages have increased in recent years, but Americans don’t know there has been a simple-to-use service available to report messages. Most major carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, each allow consumers […]
What Consumers Are Saying: “Don’t Touch My Prime”
Over the weekend, Editorial Board published an insightful piece titled “Breaking Big Tech Bad” (June 5). The piece rightly criticizes the misguided American Innovation and Choice Online Act, which was advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year to “punish Big Tech companies.” However, one area that appears overlooked is the voice of American […]
Sideloading: Why is Congress Risking Consumer Security?
Every day, millions of American consumers will download mobile applications from either Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store. These applications, or apps for short, allow consumers to do everything from play games to purchase stocks. Despite the immense benefits these stores provide consumers, lawmakers in Washington D.C. and in statehouses across the country […]
Real Clear Policy: How Do Consumers Feel About Antitrust Legislation?
Amidst recent efforts by Congress to enact strict antitrust measures on just five technology companies, including Amazon, survey data from a new report challenges the narrative that consumers are unhappy with large online retailers and desire federal intervention. You can read this op-ed in Real Clear Policy.
Misconceptions About Inflation
As Americans continue to grapple with high inflation, it is worth examining how we got here and addressing some of the common misconceptions and misleading headlines about what is actually driving inflation. When the first signs of inflation began to appear in early April 2021, America was still coming out of what had been an […]