Entries by Katie Brown

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.

Consumer groups’ statement on elimination of speculative ticketing disclosure requirements from S. 1303, the “TICKET Act”

July 27, 2023 in , , , /by

The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation today approved an amended version of the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act (“TICKET Act”). Unfortunately, an amendment to the bill that was approved during the markup eliminated a key provision that consumer groups supported which would have required ticket sellers to disclose clearly and conspicuously, prior to a consumer selecting a ticket for purchase, when a seller does not have possession of a ticket being listed for sale.

NCL urges ED to erase student debt, improve permanent pathways to cancellation

July 24, 2023 in , , , , , /by

Last week, the National Consumers League (NCL) filed comments in a U.S. Department of Education (ED) regulatory process that will enable the Department to broadly cancel student debt. This newest debt cancellation initiative came after NCL urged the administration to utilize alternate authorities following the Supreme Court’s misguided judgement against the first debt cancellation program. 

The National Consumers League applauds the reintroduction of bipartisan legislation to give millions of Medicare beneficiaries access to safe and effective obesity treatments

July 21, 2023 in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

The National Consumers League (NCL) welcomes the reintroduction  of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) as a needed step to end outdated Medicare rules that leave millions of seniors with diagnosed obesity – particularly members of Black and Latino communities – vulnerable to disability, disease and premature death due to lack of access to the full range of treatment options.

Growing up in fields

July 20, 2023 in , , , , , , /by

July 20, 2023: I grew up in a small rural area named Center, Colorado which has a population of about 2,000 people. Growing up my parents were always working in the fields, I remember my father coming home from work, and I would feel how raspy his hands were on my face. I would always ask myself, “Why are his hands so rough?” Eventually, I realized it was because of the hard work he did every day.

Financing the healthcare of tomorrow playlist: Tracks for consumers and policymakers

July 12, 2023 in , , , , , , , , , , /by

July 12, 2023: My husband has advanced Lewy Body Dementia and one of the few things we can still enjoy together is listening to music.  We used to curate playlists for all kinds of music. We even put together playlists to mark special occasions (like our daughter’s wedding).  Really, any topic became fair game for a playlist. I was invited to speak at the Patients Rising Disrupting Healthcare Summit summer conference in Washington DC.  My panel topic was Financing the Healthcare of Tomorrow.

NCL urges Ed Secretary to deliver relief to student borrowers using all options available 

June 30, 2023 in , , , , , /by

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to deny relief to more than 40 million student borrowers. Despite the Supreme Court’s misguided ruling, the administration has a number of options still available to deliver relief to borrowers. The National Consumers League (NCL) urges President Biden and Education Secretary Cardona to implement debt cancellation without delay. 

National Consumers League, health and consumer organizations call for increased oversight of hard soda

June 29, 2023 in , , , , /by

The National Consumers League (NCL) and nine other health and consumer organizations recently called on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to increase its oversight over large global soft drink brands entering the alcohol marketplace.