Have a Plan Now
·         You should have a plan for protecting your family and coordinating with each other in an emergency.  Emergencies are of different kinds, so plan broadly.  Food, water, shelter, first aid, batteries, flashlights, and communications are important to arrange for in advance.  You should also agree on a rendezvous point, how to [...]

This ConsumerGram looks at the costs and benefits of building a comprehensive nationwide electronic medical records system that would decrease deaths, reduce medical errors, improve health services, increase productivity and reduce healthcare costs.  The problem is that there is little incentive for the medical industry to invest in such a system.  This analysis investigates this [...]

According to an American Consumer Institute study, over the next 10 years, broadband applications will decrease greenhouse gas emissions by one billion tons.  That study attributed this environmental savings to several broadband applications, including telecommuting, distance learning, teleconferencing and e-materialization.  This ConsumerGram takes a second look at one of the more promising and fast growing [...]

Healthcare prices continue to increase at a rapid pace and at great cost to consumers.  With price competition virtually unheard of in the healthcare industry, there is little incentive for healthcare providers to operate in a more cost-effective manner.  However, recent efforts to rate medical professionals and hospitals could provide some level of competition that [...]

Most Consumers Unaware that Many National Chains and Fashionable Brands are owned or licensed to the Same Corporation
 
If you think it is easy to find competitively priced eyeglass wear, you better think again.  This ConsumerGram discovers that many of the stores and brands are owned by or licensed to the same parent corporation.  This means [...]

The American Consumer Institute’s Surveys Consumers on Unpaid Leave
 
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides workers with unpaid leave in cases of major family emergency.  While the Act is crucial in helping workers deal with unpredictable family hardships, reports of chronic abuse of FMLA rules put workers with a legitimate need for emergency leave in [...]