Page 12 - Consumer Issues News Today

AARP Arizona wants long-term care facilities in the state to do more to ensure the highest level of care for their residents, including being held accountable for any mishaps or deficiencies. Brendon Blake, director of advocacy for AARP Arizona, said it is crucial for people in long-term care settings to be given the first-rate care and respect they deserve. In addition to the issues of neglect, staffing shortages and low wages often making the news, Blake noted there is a lack of accessible da...

The federal government is increasing oversight on Community Development Financial Institutions, making the application process more rigorous to weed out bad actors. In the past, shady financial institutions like predatory lenders have been able to get CDFI status. Andrew Kushner, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, said he has seen CDFIs offer loans with annual percentage rates as high as 190%. ...

Temporary rate hikes sought by a handful of utilities in Minnesota are taking effect. Consumer advocates are still monitoring long-term proposals and expressed concern about the timing for ratepayers. In recent weeks, Minnesota Power, CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy have received the green light from state regulators for short-term rate increases while their permanent request cases are considered. ...

In a new poll, 25% of voters say they have "personally experienced or witnessed discrimination in health care due to race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation." The poll, sponsored by Compassion & Choices, an end-of-life care advocacy group, included 1,600 voters from across the United States. "It was striking that one-quarter of voters report that they personally experienced or witnessed discrimination in health care, with an even highe...

Federal and state regulators are cracking down on so-called "junk fees," which companies often use to hike prices on consumer products above what is advertised. These unexpected fees -- on hotel rooms, cars, concert tickets and more -- cost people tens of billions of dollars each year, and countless hours wading through the fine print of companies terms and conditions. Diedre Cummings, legislative director for the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, said these sne...

Chilly temperatures in Indiana mean turning up the thermostat at home, which can pose challenges for families on a tight budget. Indianas Energy Assistance Program provides a one-time annual amount to approved households to help with their heating costs, usually if utilities have been or are about to be disconnected. Thomas Hartnett-Russell, community programs manager for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, said energy costs have risen faster than the general inflation rat...

New federal legislation would classify discriminatory book bans as violations of federal civil rights law. The Books Save Lives Act would ensure public and school libraries maintain a diverse collection of authors, and would direct government officials to report on the effects of book bans on underrepresented communities. Rep. ...

Researchers at the University of Montana have been awarded more than more than $12 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue their work on a tuberculosis vaccine. It is the latest step toward developing the inoculation, which is especially important in the worlds underdeveloped countries. The grant to the University of Montanas Center for Translational Medicine will be used to advance a promising vaccine candidate from the pretrial stage to clinical trials; the last stage befor...

Democrats in Congress reintroduced legislation this week to protect consumers who win lawsuits against big corporations from being overtaxed by the Internal Revenue Service. The bill would ensure people who win fraud cases receive the full amount of damages, rather than being unfairly taxed on fees awarded to their attorneys. While serving in the Navy, Mario Montemayor bought a BMW in San Diego ten years ago for $30,000. ...

Overall, more Coloradans are getting the care they need to stay healthy compared to previous years, according to a new analysis of data in the Colorado All Payer Claims Database. Cari Frank - vice president for communications with the Center for Improving Value in Health Care - said the percentage of people accessing preventative services, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, has been on the rise between 2013 to 2021. "Both of those have gone up over time," said ...