Promoting health or products? A look into the Facts Up Front program

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factsupfront.pngDue to the work of the Facts Up Front campaign, today’s food products are marked with labels that advertise their nutrition facts. You have most likely seen them as the small snapshot of information on the front corners of products like cereal and bread. While this is a promising health campaign, consumers should be wary because these labels can often be misleading.

Facts Up Front was primarily developed by leaders in the food industry to help grocery shoppers like you and me easily identify nutritious food, when we may not have the time to read an entire Nutrition Facts panel.

Consumers seeking nutritional information should take a closer look at nutrition labels, as sometimes the food industry has been remiss in keeping honesty at the forefront of their labeling and marketing of products. Several years ago, one labeling campaign called “Smart Choices,” promoted sugar-laden, highly processed products as healthy options. Programs like Smart Choices, which had lenient criteria for what was considered “healthy,” lacked credibility and soon disappeared. Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department of the Harvard School of Public Health, said that the less healthy products that were given the Smart Choices’ seal of approval were in fact, “horrible choices.” As consumer advocates, we would like to see the food industry put the health of consumers at the heart of their new and improved labeling system.

Currently, Facts Up Front labels are only used by food companies that choose to display nutrition facts on the front of their packaging, which also raises some red flags. Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, stated that Facts Up Front’s “voluntary nature means you may not see it on junk foods. And even if you did, it wouldn’t successfully highlight the food’s unhealthfulness.” There is no breakdown of the label information until you search online for Facts Up Front or a nutrition information website. The Facts Up Front labels show only the amount of calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar per serving on product packaging. The campaign may only display information about up to two nutrients or vitamins on front-of-packaging labels if the products meet FDA standards of a “good source,” which applies to foods that have 10 to 19 percent of the recommended daily value of a specific nutrient. The fact is, it is difficult for consumers to use these labels intuitively to make a “healthy decision,” which is what the campaign aims to accomplish.

The quick, simple informational element of this campaign requires more intensive public nutrition education, because it is clear that misleading nutrition marketing can, and does, occur. Facts Up Front can use the help of health marketing research, such as the Institute of Medicine’s 2011 study on front-of-package labels, and should continue to work with advocates to ensure labels provide the most honest, easy-to-use, and factual information to consumers. In the meantime, consumers should “trust, but verify” all nutrition labeling on food products.

King v. Burwell ruling will keep consumers insured (and healthy!)

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Health_Care_Law.jpgThe King v. Burwell ruling in favor of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has allowed for approximately eight million consumers to keep their insurance coverage. In the King case, petitioners challenged the clause of the Affordable Care Act that stated subsidies are available to people who use an exchange “established by the State” to purchase insurance. 

Consumers living in the 34 states without state marketplaces are able to benefit from the subsidies because the Internal Revenue Service allowed people to receive assistance if they purchased a plan on the federally-run marketplace. The plaintiffs argued that subsidies by law are only given to people living in states with their own health insurance marketplaces. The ruling allows consumers in states where the marketplace is run by the federal government to keep their subsidy and insurance.

The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds the Supreme Court for upholding the ACA subsidies for consumers using the federal marketplace. The Supreme Court decision helps prevent a rise in premiums for all consumers using the health care exchange. The subsidies are a key provision of the law and they are an important part of keeping consumers insured and healthy. This decision provides hope that the ACA will face fewer political and legal obstacles in the future and can continue to provide health insurance to consumers. Despite the naysayers, the numbers speak volumes. Since the ACA’s enactment, more than 16 million Americans have been able to afford quality health insurance they did not have before.

If you do not already have health insurance, you can enroll in person, over the phone, by mail, online at Healthcare.gov, or on your state exchange’s site during the open enrollment period. 

NCL applauds Supreme Court vote to uphold ACA tax credits – National Consumers League

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June 25, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer group, applauds the Supreme Court’s decision (6-3) upholding tax credits under the Affordable Care Act in the case of King v. Burwell.  The decision ensures that more than 6 million people will not lose tax credits in states using the federal marketplace that was established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  

The challenge to the ACA questioned the legality of health insurance tax credits offered through the more than 30 federally-run health insurance marketplaces, as opposed to marketplaces established by individual states.  A ruling for the plaintiffs would have resulted in millions of Americans rendered unable to afford health insurance due to the loss of subsidies and would have caused premiums to skyrocket. Chief Justice Roberts, in finding that the tax subsidies were legal, stated “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them. If at all possible, we must interpret the Act in a way that is consistent with the former, and avoids the latter.”

NCL Executive Director, Sally Greenberg commented, “The Supreme Court’s decision is an affirmation of intent of Congress in enacting the ACA. This pivotal decision ensures that millions of Americans will continue to be able to afford health insurance, no matter which state they live in.  This is another step to toward the goal of providing health insurance for all Americans, a longstanding priority endorsed by NCL founders and early leaders. We should all feel vindicated that Congressional intent is being fulfilled and that the protections and coverage the ACA has provided will continue for millions of Americans.”

NCL stands with other consumer, health, and worker groups in support of the ACA. For decades, NCL has advocated for substantive reform to America’s health care system and was a staunch supporter of the Affordable Care Act when it passed in 2010. Today, we thank the Supreme Court for siding with consumers and workers with this important decision.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

National consumer group disappointed in ACIP’s vote on MenB vaccination – National Consumers League

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June 25, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) failed to give a broad recommendation for vaccination against meningitis B (MenB), and instead stated that only through individual patient decisions, and not as part of the routine vaccine schedule, should teens and young adults receive the MenB vaccine. The ACIP met yesterday at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

The National Consumers League (NCL) is disappointed in this decision which has the potential to put at risk millions of teens and young adults for contracting the debilitating MenB disease. “We see no reason to expose anyone to this terrible illness when protection and prevention is available,” said Kamay Lafalaise, health policy associate for NCL, at the hearing at the CDC. “NCL believes the MenB vaccine should be part of the routine vaccination schedule to ensure parents and young people have access to the vaccine before another outbreak occurs.”

NCL is concerned that if the vaccine is not part of the routine schedule, few young people will get vaccinated against this rare but devastating illness. “We hope that no more families have to endure the pain and loss that MenB can cause,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL. “We are pleased that ACIP broadened the recommendation to all youth populations, not just those ‘at risk’ but we don’t think this is enough.” 

According to the CDC there are approximately 160 reported cases annually of MenB; 10 to 15 percent of patients die and up to 19 percent of survivors have long term disabilities, including brain damage and limb amputations.

NCL asked the ACIP committee to add the vaccine to the routine schedule so that all college age students have this critical protection.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL statement applauding California for mandate on childhood vaccines – National Consumers League

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June 24, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—National Consumers League congratulates California on its mandate for childhood vaccines. California sets an example for all other states by creating a common sense solution to address this important public health issue. Vaccines can lower the number of childhood deaths that occur each year from preventable diseases, such as measles and whooping cough. This law is critical for helping children stay healthy and immune from illness. Last year, NCL conducted a survey revealing that American adults’ lack sufficient information on the safety of vaccines and the risks of failing to vaccinate for contagious diseases. While many people believe the false claims that vaccines cause autism, California has been able to shed light on the necessity and safety of vaccinations. 

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Consumer group re-issues pleas to CDC: add meningitis to routine vaccination schedule – National Consumers League

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June 24, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, NCL Communications, (202) 207-2832, cindyh@nclnet.org

Atlanta, GA—Before an advisory committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today, the nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization urged the agency, for the second time this year, to add two government-approved vaccines to the routine schedule in order to fight the spread of meningitis “before more lives are needlessly lost to this devastating disease.”

In February 2015, Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL) Executive Director Sally Greenberg, testified in support for the addition of serogroup B meningococcal, or MenB, vaccines to the routine schedule of vaccinations. At the meeting, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended the vaccine for groups at increased risk for the disease and established it would consider broader use of the vaccine, particularly for adolescents, at today’s meeting.

Today, Kamay Lafalaise, health policy associate for NCL, along with other advocacy groups and parents who have lost children to the disease, stood before the same committee with the same message: add serogroup B meningococcal, or MenB, vaccines to the routine schedule of vaccinations.

“We see no reason to expose anyone to this terrible illness when complete protection and prevention is available,” said Lafalaise. “Once again, NCL believes that parents and young people should have access to these two FDA-approved vaccines before a deadly outbreak occurs, and therefore both vaccines should be added to the routine schedule.”

The meeting of the CDC’s ACIP comes on the heels of news in New York that the NY State Legislature has passed a bill mandating a vaccine against meningitis for seventh graders. Under the bill, failure to comply with the required vaccination would subject the student to school exclusion. Elsewhere across the nation, mandated vaccinations are the subject of hot debate, such as in California, where state legislators have introduced a bill that would repeal the state’s current “personal belief exemption,” including religious exemptions, making it among the nation’s toughest vaccine laws.

Lafalaise shared the results of NCL research that found widespread support among parents for vaccinations to protect their children from diseases. Furthermore, meningitis was found to be the disease parents were most concerned of out of all childhood diseases.

Meningococcal disease, which is sometimes called bacterial meningitis, can come on quickly and can lead to death or disability within hours. Meningococcal disease affects people of all ages, though adolescents and young adults are at increased risk. Serogroup B accounts for one-third of U.S. cases, and is the most common cause of disease in adolescents. From 2013 to 2015, four college campuses experienced outbreaks of serogroup B meningococcal disease – two students have died, one student had both feet amputated.

 “If we wait, it could be too late. How many lives need to be lost before we take preventative action?” Lafalaise asked the committee.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL highlights impact of cancellation fees, mandatory hotel resort fees on the traveling public, urges reform at DOT – National Consumers League

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June 23, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, NCL Communications, (202) 207-2832, cindyh@nclnet.org or John Breyault, (202) 207-2819, johnb@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization, today highlighted the significant negative impact that cancellation/change fees and mandatory hotel resort fees are having on the traveling public. As the summer travel season shifts into high gear, millions of consumers are likely to experience the frustration of being hit with these poorly-disclosed fees.

In his remarks before the Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection, NCL Vice President John Breyault called for common-sense reforms, including a requirement that cancellation/change fees be refunded in the event that an airline is able to resell vacated seats. He also urged the DOT to require that cancellation/change fees, which brought in nearly $3 billion in revenue for the airline industry in 2014, be prominently disclosed across all sales channels — including airline websites and online travel agents.

“These fees are a cash cow for the airline industry,” said Breyault. “Consumers often can’t predict when they’ll need to change their itinerary. If the airlines are going to sock them with $200 change fees, they can at least be upfront about the fact that they’re going to do it.”

Breyault also called on the DOT rein in the abuse of mandatory hotel resort fees, which hotels across the country have been increasingly charging consumers to cover things like in-room coffee, newspapers, local phone service, or fax service. “When was the last time you needed to fax something from your hotel?” asked Breyault. “Yet, hotels are routinely nickel-and-diming consumers through these required fees for services that most of us never use.”

Breyault recommended that the DOT require mandatory hotel resort fees to be included with the rates for bundled airfare/hotel packages so that consumers can accurately compare rates and make informed, budget-conscious decisions.

“Consumers cannot make informed buying decisions without clear and accurate disclosure of important fees and surcharges before they reach the point of sale,” said Breyault. “This is even more important in the market for airfares and hotels, where consumers often find themselves captive in situations where it’s difficult to fight unfair fees.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

National consumer group pushing CPSC for safer standard for table saws; ‘Ten amputations a day could be prevented’ – National Consumers League

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June 23, 2015

Contact: Sally Greenberg, National Consumers League, sallyg@nclnet.org, or (202) 207-2830 or Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—National Consumers League (NCL) Executive Director Sally Greenberg will testify tomorrow, June 24, before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), urging the federal agency to act quickly to adopt a safety standard for table saws. NCL is the nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy group, and for several years it has been calling for a standard to require available technology upgrades to the very dangerous products, which cause a preventable 10 amputations each day in the United States.

MEDIA ADVISORY

What: Public Hearing of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Where: CPSC Hearing Room 420, Bethesda Towers Building, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814
When: 10 am, Wednesday, July 24, 2015
Hearing is open to the public

“We have before us a consumer product that causes grave injury and a proven safety technology that prevents those injuries. Ten amputations a day could be prevented virtually 100 percent of the time,” Greenberg will testify. “To me that screams out for a requirement that every table saw be required to adopt a safer design.”

Greenberg will be accompanied by Joshua Ward, a college student from Sisters, Oregon, who suffered multiple amputations while working on a table saw in his high school woodshop class in 2012. The accident severed three of his fingers and broke multiple bones. After extensive surgery and treatment, his surgeons were able to save one of his fingers. To date, Josh has undergone seven surgeries and has fought multiple infections. His medical bills exceed $350,000.

Ward traveled from Oregon to ask CPSC to enact a table saw standard that would prevent the type of injuries he has endured. “My lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter vanished when I lost my fingers. CPSC has known about safe table saw technology for over ten years – it is time for the agency to enact a safety standard,” said Ward.

According to CPSC’s statistics, there are approximately 40,000 emergency room-treated table saw injuries every year, about 4,000 of which are amputations. That’s more than 10 amputations every day. In 2003, a petition was filed with the CPSC asking the agency to enact a requirement that every table saw sold in the U.S. be equipped with “active injury mitigation” (AIM) technology that would prevent serious injuries and amputations by stopping the moving saw blade when it comes in contact with, or in close proximity to, human flesh. AIM technology has been proven to virtually eliminate serious injuries resulting from contact with a spinning table saw blade.

In 2010, after the CPSC had not moved forward on a table saw standard in seven years, NCL wrote a letter urging the Commission to take “speedy action” on table saw safety. NCL’s Greenberg also worked with table saw victims from across the country on a public education campaign highlighting the need for a table saw safety regulation. Following NCL’s campaign, in 2011, the Commission voted unanimously to begin the rulemaking process for a table saw safety standard.  

Tragically for Ward and thousands of other victims, it has been almost four years, and CPSC has still not proposed a safety standard for table saws. Greenberg teamed up with Ward to make another push for CPSC to take action. This week, Greenberg and Ward will meet individually with CPSC Chairman Elliot Kay and the four CPSC Commissioners. After their testimony, they plan to meet with Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. Their message is clear: CPSC should act expeditiously to enact a table saw standard.

Greenberg believes that table saws present an easy case for CPSC. “I am disappointed and discouraged at the lack of progress on this very fixable product hazard. While Josh is strong and is overcoming his injuries with tremendous spirit and perseverance, we all know that the lifelong physical and emotional pain and disability he suffers were preventable. We ask [the CPSC] to act as quickly as possible to make table saws safer and put an end to these preventable and heartbreaking tragedies.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

NCL’s Greenberg to speak at NOW conference – National Consumers League

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June 18, 2015

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

New Orleans, LA—Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League (NCL), will join other women’s rights advocates at the National Organization for Women’s 2015 Strategy Summit and Bylaws Convention, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans this week.

Greenberg will speak today, Friday, June 19, along with other panelists about the recent Food and Drug Administration advisory committee approval of the first-ever treatment for female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Joining Greenberg will be Susan Scanlan, president of the advocacy group Even the Score, Amanda Parrish, a patient who participated in the clinical trial of the FSD treatment, and Jan Erickson, NOW Director of Government Relations.

For more information about the conference, click here.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Talk before you take: The importance of doctor-patient communication before starting a new medication – National Consumers League

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92_kamay.jpgWe’ve all been there. Sitting alone in a cold doctor’s office, listening to a re-run of the Dr. Oz show while waiting for your doctor to come back in the room with a diagnosis and prescription in hand. You can’t wait to leave and get back on the path to wellness. And who could blame you? No one likes to wait—especially when you don’t feel healthy. The doctor comes back, hands you your prescription, and gives you a brief overview about what the medication is and the appropriate dosage. But, what happens next is critical. Do you hop off that cold, uncomfortable patient bed and go on your merry way, or do you ask questions? Specifically, questions pertaining to the risks associated with this prescription medication.

While in recent years, the communication gap between healthcare providers and patients has been met with a fair share of commentary, critique, scholarly review and analysis, we are slowly making progress, thanks in part to numerous campaigns and educational initiatives. Recently, the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), a non-profit organization, launched a campaign to help bridge the communication gap with Talk Before You Take.

Launched earlier this year, Talk Before You Take highlights the importance of communicating with your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of prescribed medications before a prescription is written and filled. The specific aims of the Talk Before You Take are to:

  • Understand medication side effects
  • Avoid adverse drug reactions
  • Improve adherence to medicine regimen(s)
  • Live healthier lives

Here are four tips to help guide your conversation with your healthcare provider about prescription medicines:

  • 1. Talk to your healthcare provider and ask questions about the benefits and potential risks of prescription medicines you take.
  • 2. Tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you are taking—including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and dietary supplements.
  • 3. Tell your healthcare provider about any allergies or sensitivities that you may have.
  • 4. Read and follow the medicine label and directions.

And remember, even if you get home and realize that you still have questions about your prescription medications; it’s not too late. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call your healthcare provider. Because when it comes to your health, there are no silly questions.