July 1, 2025: Washington, DC — The National Consumers League (NCL) is disheartened by the Reconciliation Bill narrowly passed by the Senate (51–50), with Vice President Vance casting the deciding vote.
July 1, 2025: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization, is pleased to announce Lisa Bercu as the new Senior Director of Health Policy. Ms. Bercu brings more than a decade of experience in health policy, regulatory affairs, and legislative advocacy to her new role.
June 30, 2025: Washington, DC — The National Consumers League (NCL) today voiced strong opposition to the reported amendment to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” imposing a five-year moratorium on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence systems. The deal, if enacted, would amount to a sweeping federal preemption of popular and long-standing consumer protection laws, ranging from robocall restrictions to children’s online safety, privacy rights, and protections from discriminatory AI applications.
June 26, 2025: Washington, DC — In advance of a subcommittee hearing on motor vehicle safety, the National Consumers League (NCL) sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging lawmakers to take decisive action to curb the unacceptable number of deaths and injuries that occur due to traffic crashes.
June 25, 2025: Washington, DC — The “One Big Beautiful Bill” budget reconciliation legislation includes language that would largely ban states from regulating tech companies for 10 years if the states accept federal money for building out high-speed internet infrastructure. Specifically, the language prevents states from enforcing laws that protect the public from artificial intelligence and “automated decision systems.” The legislation’s definition of “automated decision systems” is so broad it could impact several existing state laws, including safeguards for digital privacy and anti-discrimination.
June 23, 2025: Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have become the uniquely American actors of behind-the-scenes drama in the healthcare system. They are the classic middleman in that they wield enormous power and get between patients and their prescribed medications. They control how much we pay for the medications and decide whether we can get access to the treatments our doctors prescribe.
June 11, 2025: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is alarmed by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s removal of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—a body composed of independent public health experts who were vetted and appointed through a transparent, rigorous process during the previous administration. ACIP plays a critical role in evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and public health need for vaccines. Its recommendations guide immunization practices for children, seniors, and the general public—including routine vaccines such as the annual flu shot.
June 6, 2025: Washington, DC —The National Consumers League (NCL) is concerned by the release of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report, a 69-page report masquerading as a public health strategy.
June 1, 2025: Washington, DC – The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) proposes dramatic restructuring of the agency, reductions in staffing, and decreases in funding in its Fiscal Year 2026 Performance Budget Request to Congress. The budget recommends that Congress pass legislation transferring the functions of the CPSC to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The budget also recommends a 10 percent funding cut and 14 percent reduction of staff.
June 2, 2025: New York, NY — The National Consumers League and Sports Fans Coalition (SFC) are calling on New York legislators to amend A8651/S822 warning that as currently written, it could further entrench monopolistic control over ticket sales in the Empire State and harm consumers.
The work of the National Consumers League is making a difference in people’s lives across the country. Meet some of the consumers touched by our programs.
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Paige, 55, a Nashville wife and mother of two, answered an employment ad for secret shoppers. Before sending payment to the scammers, she reached out to NCL.
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A grease fire flared up in Decklan’s kitchen. As his family scrambled and panicked, fearing that the whole house might erupt in flames, Decklan remained calm. He hurried over to the pantry, grabbed some baking soda, and dumped it on the fire quickly extinguishing the blaze.
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Cincinnati resident Charles, 45, lost his computer business — and health insurance— during a time of economic downturn. A diabetic, Charles was now unable to afford his medication. He stopped taking it which made him seriously ill and put his life at risk.
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Jeremy is a fast-food worker who has been employed at a number of Chipotle restaurants in New York City. When he was just 20 years old, he took part in an NCL research project that revealed that management practices within the fast food chain were putting workers—and food safety for customers—at risk.
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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director
While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to hardship for all Americans, it is clear that people of color have been disproportionately burdened. Across the health care continuum, addressing this disparity has become part of the broader conversation about the history of systemic racism and the underlying social determinants of health that negatively affect the mental, physical, and economic health of individuals and entire communities.
The pandemic has underscored persistent health disparities, and there is growing recognition that representation in research and clinical trials can have a profound impact on health outcomes. A lack of representation from racially and ethnically diverse groups in research and clinical trials have typically led to gaps in data, missing the opportunity to assess the full impact of various treatments and drugs across a range of populations. The collection and use of real-world research and data to inform the potential use, risks, and benefits of medical products and treatments can ultimately lead to better health outcomes, particularly for those who have been underrepresented in the past.
Existing efforts to improve inclusion
Efforts to expand diversity and representation in medical research are underway in Congress. Policymakers are encouraging the incorporation of Real World Evidence (RWE) in drug development through the recent Cures 2.0 draft legislation released by Reps. Diana Degette (D-CO-1) and Fred Upton (D-MI-6). While the status quo limits us from effectively reaching underserved populations, the proposed legislation would allow studies that include RWE for some drugs after they have been approved. At the heart of this issue is a growing appreciation that the same therapy can affect different populations in different ways, which is why Cures 2.0 supports collecting data that more accurately reflects the unique experiences and needs of patients across diverse populations.
Recognizing the potential for RWE in maternal health
The lack of representative research in the field of maternal health is undeniable, and its implications are staggering. The dismal state of maternal care in the United States reflects how our health care system has failed women of color, including by not adequately studying treatment options to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality. The need for RWE is clear when you consider the persistent disparities in health outcomes that plague minority communities.
Preterm birth and its disproportionate impact on women of color is a stark illustration of the need to make progress on representative research in maternal health. Preterm birth is the second-largest contributor to infant death in America today. Despite the tremendous physical, emotional, and financial toll that preterm birth continues to take on our country — disproportionately so on women and families of color — not enough therapeutic tools currently exist to prevent it.
Today, “17P,” the only FDA-approved treatment to help reduce the likelihood of spontaneous, recurrent preterm birth in the United States is at-risk of being withdrawn from the market in all its forms, including the branded product and five generic versions. Unfortunately there is conflicting evidence from two different clinical trials, one representative of a diverse U.S. population and another studied in a largely white population in Europe. It’s not a straightforward comparison. If 17P is withdrawn, the women most affected by preterm birth, predominantly women of color, would be left without an FDA-approved treatment option.
The FDA is considering the path forward, including additional data collection through leveraging RWE from past patient use. The success of the first (approval) trial for 17P in the impacted communities signals the importance of RWE. Continued access to 17P is, at its core, a matter of health equity. Black women must not yet again be left vulnerable to a system that historically has overlooked them.
