Read this analysis by Gallup. Not surprisingly, the uninsured rates are dropping in states that opted for the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. Perhaps more surprising is that states that have set up their own health-care exchanges (or have state-federal partnerships), as opposed to states that depend on the federal exchange, generally are the states […]
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…is the title of this eye-opening piece in the Washington Post about what the FTC is seeking to learn from hackers about data privacy. As the Post reports, FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny and the agency's chief technologist Ashkan Soltani are in Las Vegas this week to talk with hackers and security researchers attending the Black Hat […]
That's the title of this article in yesterday's NY Times by Anahad O'Connor. Coke is the world's largest marketer of sugary drinks. O'Connor explains that Coke gives "financial and logistical support" for "a new nonprofit organization called the Global Energy Balance Network." (The group's name — The Global Energy Balance Network — is more inscrutable […]
A few weeks back I blogged here about pharmaceutical manufacturer Amarin’s lawsuit aiming to allow it to market a fish-oil based drug for a use not approved by the FDA. The FDA denied approval because it concluded the drug had no demonstrated therapeutic benefits for that use, but Amarin claims a First Amendment right to […]
…is the subject of a pending cert. petition to the Supreme Court, reports Ars Technica (here). The issue is whether law enforcement's use of cell phone data to locate a person is subject to the privacy protections of the Fourth Amendment (such as the warrant requirement). The en banc Eleventh Circuit answered no (here). The […]
A Pew report from earlier this summer investigates the use of prepaid cards — who uses them, and how, and what regulation might be needed. The report found a huge rise in use. More specifically: "The report finds that many 'unbanked' consumers, those without bank accounts, are using prepaid cards like checking accounts, underscoring the […]
In Chapman v. All American Painting, Inc., the Seventh Circuit today overruled a string of decisions, including Damasco v. Clearwire Corp., and held that a rejected offer of judgment that would have provided a plaintiff with complete relief does not moot the plaintiff's claims. The court adopted the analysis of Justice Kagan's dissenting opinion in Genesis […]
You may know that H.R. 1599, the "Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015" passed the House of Representatives a couple of weeks back and has been referred to committee in the Senate. You may also know that the bill would ban states from requiring labeling of foods containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, and that […]
…comes to an end tonight with his last episode hosting the show. In addition to covering issues of war and peace, politics, and the media, Jon Stewart has frequently covered issues of importance to consumers. If you're feeling nostalgic for all things Stewart (as I am today), here's a collection of some of his pieces […]
…is the question posed in today's piece from NPR's Morning Edition today. The story covers a new partnership between Yelp and ProPublica to integrate ProPublica data into Yelp doctor reviews. One of the difficulties in Yelp reviews of doctors is that they often focus on the rudeness or efficiency of the office staff rather than […]