Entries by Katie Brown

NCL sends letter to Illinois Attorney General on mass arbitration

August 18, 2023 in , , /by

The National Consumers League sent a letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on the practice of mass arbitration. NCL CEO Sally Greenberg urged the office to look into these issues to avoid denying consumers the redress and remedies to which they are entitled under the law and further delays in justice and accountability.

NCL mourns the passing of Rhoda Karpatkin

August 11, 2023 in /by

August 11, 2023: The National Consumers League mourns the passing of consumer icon and President of Consumer Reports Rhoda Karpatkin. Rhoda, who died last week, served as President of Consumer Reports (CR) and Consumers Union (CU)—having served for 26 years from 1974 to 2000.

New insurance schemes to carve out specialty drugs deserve skepticism and scrutiny

August 11, 2023 in , , /by

August 11, 2023: Employers seeking to cut healthcare costs should remember this simple rule of thumb: If an offer to save money seems too good to be true, it usually is. That seems to be the case with offers to try “Alternative Funding Programs” or AFPs.  This is a devious but growing cottage industry, which promises to cut employer costs for specialty medicines. 

National Consumers League Live Event Ticketing Principles

August 4, 2023 in , , , , , /by

August 4, 2023: NCL works on behalf of fans for all live events to ensure that consumers get the best possible experience, the best bargain for their hard earned dollars and don’t feel they’ve been ripped off with gotcha added costs, like mandatory “convenience fees” “processing fees” “venue fees” or the like when purchasing live event tickets.

National Consumers League supports the SAG-AFTRA strike

August 4, 2023 in , , , , , , , , /by

The National Consumers League supports the SAG-AFTRA nationwide strike announced on July 14, 2023 against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. After a union wide vote authorized the strike with 97.7% voting yes, more than 150,000 movie, theater, and streaming actors have gone on strike.  AMPTP represents over 350 American television and film production companies, including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Netflix, Apple TV+, and Amazon.

What’s going on with student debt cancellation?

July 31, 2023 in , , , , , , /by

July 31, 2023: A few weeks ago, the US Supreme Court ignored the facts of the case in front of them and wrongfully ruled that President Biden’s first attempt at cancelling student debt was illegal. While the Court was misguided and seemingly hellbent on making life worse for millions of Americans, debt cancellation is not dead.

National Consumers League mourns death of Jon Cuneo

July 27, 2023 in /by

The National Consumers League’s Board of Directors and Staff is deeply saddened by the untimely death of anti-trust lawyer and consumer advocate Jonathan Cuneo. Jon practiced with the firm of Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP in Washington DC with copartners Pamela Gilbert, herself a consumer advocate who currently serves on NCL’s Board of Directors, and Charles LaDuca.

Safety in question: The alarming disparities between cannabis product health claims and research, and the magnified risks for women

July 27, 2023 in , , , , , , , , /by

July 27, 2023: When I started my National Consumers League (NCL) internship in May 2023, I quickly dove into NCL’s health policy work. NCL is leading on several efforts to protect consumers –one area of focus that stood out to me is their work in the cannabis policy space. NCL is a founding member of Cannabis Consumer Watch (CCW), which educates consumers on cannabinoids, their effects, the risks related to the unregulated marketplace, and the ways policymakers and regulators can help protect consumers.