America needs the CFPB now more than ever – National Consumers League

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SG-headshot.jpgGiven the multiple fusillades the week-old Trump Administration has lobbed at civil liberties, the environment, and abortion rights, the attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) might seem rather minor. But nothing could be further from the truth. Two Republican Senators are asking President Trump to remove the director of the CFPB, Richard Cordray.

As the New York Times pointed out this weekend:

“The bureau is the only federal agency with the sole mission of looking out for Americans in their dealings with banks and other lenders. CFPB’s investigations have yielded ‘$12 billion to millions of Americans in the past five years—money that otherwise would have enriched lenders through high and hidden fees on bank accounts and credit cards, predatory mortgages, deceptive terms in student loans, illegal debt collection from military service members and unfair auto loans.”

As Liz Weston argued, the Bureau has done a tremendous amount in five short years including:

  • Created rules requiring lenders to consider people’s ability to repay a mortgage and curbed their ability to make the risky loans.
  • Ordered lenders that were illegally overcharging service members to refund millions of dollars to their military borrowers.
  • Forced multiple credit card issuers—including American Express, Bank of America, Chase, and Citibank—to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to consumers over illegal practices, including unfair billing and deceptive marketing.
  • Got the credit bureaus to finally update their dispute-processing software so that documents submitted by consumers, such as account statements or receipts, could be forwarded to companies reporting incorrect information.
  • Took steps to rein in the debt collection industry, including fining Chase $136 million for selling “zombie debts” to debt buyers that included accounts that were already settled, discharged in bankruptcy or simply not owed.

The CFPB also studied forced arbitration in consumer contracts and recommended outlawing them.

If the goal is to protect the average American from financial service exploitation, this is the most important agency we have. Cordray is an extraordinary public servant who has taken the Bureau through many challenging projects and has played the all-critical cop on the beat. This is one agency that is good for everyone across the political spectrum.

NCL joins public-private partnership to help America slash food waste – National Consumers League

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January 26, 2017

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

Coalition of 12 organizations launch FurtherWithFood.org, an online hub for information and solutions to cut food loss and waste

Washington, DC – Today, the nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization, the National Consumers League (NCL) announced the official launch of “Further With Food: Center for Food Loss and Waste Solutions,” an online hub for the exchange of information and solutions that can help realize the national goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030.

Further With Food (furtherwithfood.org) will be the definitive online destination for stakeholders – such as businesses, government entities, investors, NGOs, academics, and individuals – seeking to learn more about their role in meeting a national goal to reduce food waste by 50 percent.  In addition to stimulating widespread adoption of proven solutions, Further With Food will enable coordination among stakeholders and will reduce duplication of efforts.

“Because food waste is one of the most pressing – and solvable – challenges of our time, we are proud to be one of the founders of this effort,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director. “Further With Food will be a place to compare notes on what’s working, to build on new ideas, and to scale the most effective solutions so that, together, we can build a more resilient and productive food system.”

The U.S. spends more than $162 billion growing, processing, and transporting food that is never eaten, costing the average family of four $1,500 every year. In the process, fresh water, energy, land, labor, and money are invested into food that’s never sold and meals that are never served, and leading to greenhouse gas emissions as food rots in landfills. With the announcement of Further With Food, the members of this public-private partnership are seeking to uncover and share proven solutions, as well as to ensure efforts are streamlined and effective.

“Curbing the enormous amount of food loss and waste in this county would help put food on the table to nourish people in need, conserve the resources of our planet, and help both individuals and companies save money,” said Erin Fitzgerald Sexson, senior vice president for Global Sustainability, Innovation Center for US Dairy. “The good news is that partners across the country are joining the effort to reduce food loss and waste. As these efforts expand, there is a need for a common place for these diverse groups to share and learn from one another, as well as educate the public.”

Further With Food will feature content on best practices for preventing, recovering and recycling food loss and waste; educational materials; research results; and information on existing government, business and community initiatives.

In addition to NCL, the participants in the Further With Food collaboration include the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Feeding America, Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Restaurant Association, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, World Resources Institute, and World Wildlife Fund. Major funding was provided by the Rockefeller Foundation.  Keystone Policy Center provided technical assistance to the coalition.

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.

EITC Awareness Day: Millions of Americans eligible for tax break – National Consumers League

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SG_HEADSHOT.jpgThis blog post was originally published in the Huffington Post.

If someone told you that you may be one of the more than five million Americans missing out on as much as $6,269 in prize money, you’d almost certainly dismiss it as a fantasy or fraud, right? What if I said that you could get that prize money without paying a dime? It definitely sounds too good to be true, I know.

Fortunately, millions of working families actually can get a significant check from the federal government, thanks to the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). For more than 40 years, the EITC has been, by many accounts, the nation’s most successful anti-poverty program. Last year, it lifted 6.5 million Americans out of poverty, including 3.3 million children, and reduced the severity of poverty for another 21.2 million qualifying workers. Studies show that the tax credit is used by working families to pay for necessary expenses like home and auto repairs and to boost earning power by getting more education. This in turn allows large numbers of single parents to leave welfare for work, saving taxpayers money.

Despite these benefits, more than 20 percent of people who qualify for the EITC fail to claim it. We think that’s because many consumers are never made aware of the EITC due to a lack of reliable, affordable tax preparation resources in their communities.

January 27 is EITC Awareness Day, which is a perfect time to make sure that every American who qualifies for the EITC knows about it. That’s why the National Consumers League is working to promote free tax preparation services like Baltimore’s CASH Campaign, whose volunteers are ready to help educate the one in five workers who are missing out on this benefit. The Baltimore CASH Campaign is one of the 12,000 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs that the IRS relies on to help qualifying individuals prepare and file their taxes, free of charge.

Working families making less than $64,000 per year can also take advantage of free name-brand tax preparation software offered through the IRS’s Free File program. An added benefit of using resources like VITAs and Free File is that they can help taxpayers navigate a new wrinkle this tax season. Because of a new law designed to protect consumers from tax identity fraud, the IRS will hold refund checks until February 15 for consumers claiming the EITC. This is important, because there are likely to be unscrupulous tax preparers who promise they can get EITC-qualified taxpayers their refunds sooner than February 15. In reality, any money a consumer gets before February 15 will probably be in the form of a refund anticipation loan, which comes loaded with predatory fees.

On EITC Awareness Day and throughout this tax season, let’s make sure that the Earned Income Tax Credit gets the credit it’s due. Working families should be able to keep 100 percent of the money they’ve earned. Thanks to programs like VITAs and IRS Free File, they can.

Make your health a priority: Enroll in Marketplace health insurance by the January 31 deadline – National Consumers League

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There is considerable anxiety over the future of healthcare in the face of our new Administration. However, the most important thing that consumers can do right now to protect their health is to enroll in or change their Marketplace health insurance plan by the January 31, 2017 deadline.

Consumers can go to HealthCare.gov to find a plan that best fits their needs and budget.

Why is having health insurance important?

  • It protects you and your family from unexpected medical costs. No one plans to get sick or hurt, but health insurance gives you important financial protection, just in case.
  • Marketplace health insurance gives you access to essential health benefits (like emergency services, maternity and newborn care, and prescription drugs) and preventive health services (like vaccines and screening tests) at no cost to you.
  • Marketplace plans may be more affordable than you think. About 85 percent of Marketplace consumers qualify for tax credits to assist with costs. At HealthCare.gov, you can find out if you qualify for financial help with your premium costs.

Contact HealthCare.gov’s Marketplace Call Center toll-free at 1-800-318-2596 for assistance with enrolling. If you have more questions about health insurance, we encourage you to visit MyHealthPlan.Guide, a joint project of NCL and America’s Health Insurance Plans, which provides helpful tips about choosing and using your health insurance plan.

Don’t miss out on your chance to get covered–enroll by the January 31 deadline. Make your health a priority–you owe it to yourself!

Hidden fees and the decline of the empowered consumer – National Consumers League

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byoung-92.jpgA fair and competitive marketplaces requires that consumers have the ability to make informed decisions and easily compare prices. A new report from the White House, however, finds that it’s becoming harder, not easier, for consumers to compare prices thanks to the proliferation of hidden fees in many industries.

One example the report cites is the growth of mandatory hotel resort fees, which are not included in advertised room prices. These fees make one room look artificially cheaper than a similar room that doesn’t charge a resort fee. And because it’s a mandatory fee, there’s no way for consumers to avoid it. This hurts competition by making it harder for consumers to find the “true” lowest room rates.

Another example is airline fees. Until recently, consumers could use an online travel agent and accurately compare the price of a plane ticket. Now, airlines are charging high fees for services that used to be included in the airfare, like baggage, seat assignments, and the ability to change or cancel a ticket. With some so-called “ultra low-cost” carriers, these fees can make a “deal” on airfare actually more expensive than buying a ticket from a traditional airline that doesn’t nickel-and-dime their customers.

Hidden fees are not just limited to airlines and hotels, either. The White House report details how companies in the automotive, banking, and telecom sectors hide their real prices from consumers by baking fees into their price structures. In short, the report argues that companies wanting to play fair with their customers are put at a disadvantage when their competitors look cheaper by deceptively burying fees in the fine print. This has profound and negative effects on competition and consumer welfare.

The White House report found three distinct ways that these deceptive pricing strategies are harming consumers. First, this pricing strategy prevents consumers from accurately comparing prices and may lead them to make the wrong shopping choices. Consumers who invest time in a checkout process that includes a steady drip of add-on fees are unlikely to restart the research and buying process over once the vendor reveals the true cost of a product. Thus, the typical consumer is likely to pay the extra costs even if the “deal” they found is no longer the cheaper or best option for them.

Second, the report found that these hidden fees condition consumers to think that a low price just means they will be slammed with fees at checkout. This in turn makes it harder for new cost-cutting competitors to enter the market since consumers just expect to be saddled with fees no matter what they do.

Finally, the report suggested that these fees may facilitate price collusion amongst competitors, particularly in the airline industry. Specifically, the report finds that these add-on fees provide an ideal anchor for coordinated pricing “because they are typically set at the national level and fluctuate less frequently than the base prices themselves.” Such practices are easily observed when, with few exceptions, all of the major U.S. airlines priced their ticket change fees in the same range. This pricing strategy has allowed the North American airlines to collect nearly $11 billion in 2015 off of de facto mandatory fees such as baggage and change fees.

 

The White House report provides a sobering account of the rise of hidden fees and the harm these deceptive pricing practices create. In its report, the White House stated that “consumers and consumer groups play a crucial role in moderating fees.” It is with this call to action in mind that NCL will continue to call attention to companies that increase hidden fees instead of competing in a fair and transparent way.

National Consumers League urges consumers to enroll in Marketplace health insurance by January 31 deadline – National Consumers League

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January 25, 2017

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

Washington, DC—Amidst uncertainty about the future of health insurance for millions of Americans, the National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization, is joining with other health advocacy groups urging consumers to enroll in health coverage by the January 31, 2017 deadline.

“While the debate over repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act swirls in Congress, the most important thing that consumers can do right now to protect their health is to enroll in or change their Marketplace health insurance plan by the January 31, 2017 deadline. Consumers can go to HealthCare.gov to find a plan that works for them,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director. 

Along with its colleagues in the health advocacy community, NCL is encouraging consumers to enroll in coverage in order to take advantage of a range of free benefits and preventive services covered under the Affordable Care Act, including birth control, HIV screenings, cancer screenings, diabetes screenings, and other important health services.

At HealthCare.gov, consumers can compare plans and choose the combination of price and coverage that best fits their needs and budget. Consumers will also be able to find out if they qualify for financial help with their premium costs.

If consumers have questions about health insurance, they can visit MyHealthPlan.Guide, a joint project of NCL and America’s Health Insurance Plans, to educate consumers about choosing and using their health insurance and living a healthy lifestyle. Consumers may also contact HealthCare.gov’s Marketplace Call Center toll-free at 1-800-318-2596 for assistance with enrolling.  

The Health Insurance Exchanges will remain in place through 2017. “Don’t place yourself or your family at financial risk from unexpected health expenses. Enroll in coverage now before it’s too late!” said Greenberg.         

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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 testifies in support of Virginia Ticket Resale Rights Act – National Consumers League

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January 24, 2017

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

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneering advocacy group, today announced its support for Virginia H.B. 1825, the Ticket Resale Rights Act. The bill, introduced by Delegate Dave Albo, would protect competition and consumer choice by prohibiting the use of ticket licensing terms that eliminate consumers’ freedom to sell, give away, or donate tickets as they wish. The bill would extend the same protections to Virginians that consumers in Colorado and New York currently enjoy.

In testimony before the Virginia House Committee on Commerce and Labor, John Breyault, NCL’s vice president of public policy, telecommunications, and fraud highlighted the impact that abusive ticket licensing terms have on consumers’ ability to buy and sell live event tickets.

“The increasing use of so-called ‘non-transferrable’ tickets as a way to control ticket scalping is a cure worse than the disease,” said Breyault. “Because events with non-transferrable tickets require attendees to show an I.D. and the credit or debit card used for purchase in order to enter the venue, these events may not be accessible for the 24.3 percent of Virginians who are unbanked or underbanked.”

Breyault also called attention to the anti-competitive effect of “restricted-transfer” tickets. “Make no mistake, primary ticketers like Ticketmaster do not want to prevent ticket resale; they want to control and profit from it,” said Breyault. “Through the use of restricted transfer tickets, companies like Ticketmaster seek to limit resale to ticket markets they control and where they, not competition, set the prices consumers must pay.”

NCL has long advocated for greater transparency, more choice, and stronger consumer protections in the live event ticketing market. Last year, NCL played a pivotal role in the passage of the federal Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016, bipartisan legislation that for the first time prohibited the use of ticket-buying “bot” software that allows unscrupulous ticket brokers to jump in line ahead of average fans and snap up hundreds or thousands of tickets to later be resold at exorbitant markups.

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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 Consumers League to HHS nominee: ‘Maintain women’s access to free contraception’ – National Consumers League

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January 23, 2017

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

Washington, DC—The nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy group is today calling on Congressman Tom Price, a doctor and President Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS), who appeared before the Senate in confirmation hearings last week and will again tomorrow, to drop his insistence that women should have to pay for contraception.

“The facts are in: because of increased and free access to contraception, the U.S. abortion rate has declined 14 percent between 2011 and 2014 and well over 60 percent of the decline in the number of abortions occurred in states without new restrictions,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League (NCL), which has advocated on women’s health issues since its founding in 1899. “The Congressman is out of touch with the economic realities facing women.”

Reports cite a 2012 interview with Price by Think Progress reporter Scott Keyes, in which the reporter asked Price: “One of the main sticking points is whether or not contraceptive coverage is going to be covered under health insurance plans and at hospitals and whether they’re going to be able to pay for it, especially low-income women … where do we leave these women if this rule is rescinded?” Price’s response: “Bring me one woman who has been left behind. Bring me one. There’s not one. The fact of the matter is this is a trampling on religious freedom and religious liberty in this country.”

“Congressman Price has his head in the sand. Providing girls and women with highly effective contraceptive methods that are free and universally available is the best way to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion, a goal we all share,” said Greenberg.   

According to a new report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, U.S. abortion rates reached a record low in 2014, for the first time falling below its level in 1973—the year abortion became legal nationwide. Anti-abortion groups and policymakers often claim credit for reduced incidence of abortion due to restrictions on access, but the facts prove otherwise: among the 28 states and the District of Columbia that did not have major new restrictions in effect, all but three saw abortion declines in 2011–2014, and combined they accounted for 62 percent of the total decline in the number of U.S. abortions. This follows another decline in abortion during the 2008–2011 period, which was driven entirely by a steep drop in unintended pregnancy, which in turn was explained by improved contraceptive use.

“The Guttmacher Report shows no clear pattern linking restrictions and declines in abortion incidence,” said Greenberg.

Greenberg also stated, “We call upon Congressman Price to maintain women’s access to free contraception and the other preventive services covered under the Affordable Care Act. The nominee for this critically important HHS post should work to preserve and improve women’s health, not roll back the clock.”

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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.

Technology in the fight against trafficking: Tracking criminals and helping victims – National Consumers League

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This article written by Child Labor Coalition contributing writer on human trafficking issues Mary Donovan.

From mobile phones to big data analytics, technology can help in the fight against human trafficking. Access to a phone can enable a victim to call friends, family, or a hotline for help. Data trends enable us to study the patterns of trafficking and to know where to combat it. On the other hand, technology is definitely part of the problem of trafficking, as traffickers are quickly incorporating technology trends and social media in their recruitment of victims. This is why it is crucial to use technology as part of the solution.

While each incident of human trafficking differs in specifics, all have three clear steps: the acquisition step, the transportation step, and the final step of forced labor. Technology can help in each phase.

With access to technology, human trafficking can be avoided in the first place. Technology could directly connect a worker with a safe job, eliminating the need for a middleman, who may exploit the worker. Think of the impact of AirBnB and Uber on the hotel and taxi industries. What if workers could locate honest labor recruiters directly with technology? The supply side of human trafficking would diminish.

The Centro de los Derechos de Migrants launched a website, contratados.com, which allows temporary Mexican workers to share their experiences working in the United States. The website also accepts reviews by text message and telephone. Workers can warn other workers, so labor abuses are not perpetuated and new migrant workers do not unknowingly put themselves in positions to be trafficked.

Technology can be used to increase transparency and to disrupt the market of trafficking through uncovering traffickers’ attempts to transport victims. Forensic evidence, photographs, and identification of trafficking routes can help detect traffickers.

For example, DigitalGlobe, a company that provides high-resolution images of the earth, is able to spot slave ships in the seas. Using powerful satellites, seas that have long remained lawless can now be policed. DigitalGlobe also investigates brick kilns in India and fisheries on Lake Volta in Ghana, two major industries where child labor exists.

In this digital age, there is a record of anything that happens online. The rise of mobile money makes transactions and payments easier to track. Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer currency that allows users to transact money directly. It is completely transparent, with records of all exchanges, allowing investigation of suspicious payments. Financial data is important, because it is often where investigators discover the first signs of trafficking.

In the last phase of trafficking—forced labor—technology can lead to a way out. A new report from the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, Technology and Labor Trafficking in a Network Society, addressed the role of technology as a strategy for escape. The report describes the story of a woman from the Philippines who was stranded in Malaysia and deceived by traffickers. She was thrown in prison and interrogated, but the Philippine government was able to intervene and help her because she had hidden a phone in her jail cell.

Unfortunately, many migrant workers do not have access to technology and are both geographically and technologically isolated. We need to trace the crime in these situations. The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is using Memex, a kind of technology that sees into the hidden corners of the Internet, to fight both sex and labor trafficking. Memex scans job advertisements on the ‘dark web’ that cannot be found or linked together with normal search engines.

Another way to fight trafficking is to increase quantitative data and analysis. Human trafficking thrives in environments without data. Complex supply chains allow forced labor to remain hidden. If we increase data collection and analysis, causes and trends can be examined so support can be mobilized and action can be taken. With increased investigation, data collection, and sharing of that data, we can know about the specifics in which this transnational crime operates. Quantifying data also signifies the importance of a problem. In other words, what can be counted, counts. Numbers can raise awareness and call attention to a hidden crime.

Another way technology can reduce trafficking is to raise consumer awareness. The ability to trace goods allows consumers to know if the products they buy are made with forced labor, and let businesses know if there is anything suspicious in their supply chains.

The US Department of Labor released an app called “Sweat and Toil,” which shares information about child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking around the world. It allows users to browse countries and products for forced labor, review laws and regulations in these countries, and find out what governments can do to reduce this worldwide problem. There are a number of apps such as GoodGuide allowing conscious consumers to be aware of the environmental and social impacts of their purchases. GoodGuide ranks a wide range of products and gives them health, environmental, and social scores. Red Light Traffic is an app that allows people to anonymously report suspected cases of human trafficking. It also informs people of the “red flags” of human trafficking, so it can be identified and reported.

Partnership for Freedom issued a three-part competitive technology challenge on innovative solutions to end human trafficking. Rethink Supply Chains is the second part.

The submission deadline for the Rethink Supply Chains challenge has passed, but stay tuned as finalists will be announced this month. Submissions focused on the areas of communication, improving transparency of the labor process, and creating tools to map and share information about labor conditions in supply chains. This challenge will hopefully add wonderful new initiatives to the few already mentioned above.

Modern technology can amaze us everyday, with rapid innovation and the creation of things we never imagined could be possible. Like all tools, technology can be and is used for both doing bad and doing good. Using the power of technology in the fight against human trafficking will bring new, exciting, and unprecedented results.

Script Your Future launches sixth annual student competition for innovations in medication adherence – National Consumers League

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January 17, 2017

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

Washington, DC—This week marks the launch of the sixth annual Medication Adherence Team Challenge, a two-month-long intercollegiate competition among health profession student teams and faculty for creating solutions to raise awareness about medication adherence as a critical public health issue. The Challenge, coordinated by the National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneer consumer group and the lead organization on the national Script Your Future campaign, is returning to university campuses across the country after five years of successful student competition and innovation. 

The Challenge is part of Script Your Future, a campaign launched by NCL and its partners in 2011 to combat the problem of poor medication adherence in the United States, where nearly three out of four patients do not take their medication as directed.

“With the changing landscape of healthcare in America, the role of healthcare professionals in helping patients take their medications as directed to preserve and improve their health is more critical than ever. The Challenge uniquely encourages an interprofessional approach to improving medication adherence and lays the foundation for adherence-minded care delivery among future professionals before they enter the workforce,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director. “Each year, we are so impressed by the ingenuity of our student teams and their ability to meet patients where they are. We look forward to seeing what this year’s Challenge will contribute to the discussion.”

The Challenge is sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

From January 16 through March 17, inter-professional teams—including student pharmacists, nurses, doctors, and others—will implement outreach with creative approaches in their communities to raise awareness and improve understanding about medication adherence, using Script Your Future.  At the end of the Challenge, teams submit entries for review by national partner organizations, and winners are recognized nationally for their efforts to improve medication adherence.

“The Script Your Future Adherence Challenge has provided a tremendous opportunity for health professions students to illustrate how they can work collaboratively to improve patient care through better medication adherence,” said Dr. Lucinda L. Maine, executive vice president and CEO at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. “This challenge, now in its sixth year, continues to provide a great example of the power health professions teams can have on the public health issue of medication adherence.”

Since the Challenge began in 2011, more than 9,500 future health care professionals have directly counseled more than 34,000 patients and reached more than 11 million consumers about the importance of medication adherence. Last year’s National awardees were the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy. The Focused awardees were the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) (Health Disparities), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Media), and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (Creative Inter-Professional Event).  

To learn more about last year’s winners visit the Script Your Future website.

For more information on the Challenge visit the Challenge Community website at https://syfadherencechallenge.ning.com/. Tweet along with us during the Challenge using #SYFchallenge and follow the campaign @IWillTakeMyMeds.

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Script Your Future is a campaign of the National Consumers League (NCL), a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1899. NCL’s mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information about the Script Your Future campaign, visit www.ScriptYourFuture.org. For more information on NCL, please visit www.nclnet.org.