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Press Release Tuesday, December 28, 1999 |
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As we approach the year 2000, Consumers Union (CU), the publisher
of Consumer Reports magazine, spotlights challenges that
today's consumers face in a rapidly changing marketplace.
In the January 2000 issue of Consumer Reports, CU President
Rhoda H. Karpatkin looks back at society's progress in providing a
fair and safe arena for consumers, while calling for a renewed
commitment to complete the work left to be done.
In her monthly "Memo to Members" column, Karpatkin encourages
progress in science, technology, and the marketplace, but offers
these cautions:
¨ We should embrace innovations and new technologies, but be cautious about those with uncertain effects and preserve consumers' rights to access, equity, and protection.
¨ We need to produce and consume products in a way that doesn't squander resources needed for the future.
¨ Corporate power, if left without checks and balances, may drown out the voice of citizens in the political process.
¨ Given the strength of our economy and the resources at hand, we can do better at closing the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.
In this light, the priorities below set a course for consumers,
business, and policymakers in the Year 2000.
1. HEALTH COVERAGE FOR THE UNINSURED The number of
Americans without health insurance is 44 million and rising. State
and federal governments should take steps to provide affordable
health coverage for all.
2. MANAGED CARE ACCOUNTABILITY Too many managed care plans
pay more attention to their profits than their patients. Congress
should establish a system in which health care providers are fully
accountable to consumers for the quality of their care.
3. PRIVACY PROTECTION Some businesses routinely share and
sell information about their customers, often without the customers'
knowledge. This information can include Social Security numbers,
credit card numbers, & account balances. Consumers should not
have to surrender private, personal information in order to open a
bank account, shop on the Internet, or take advantage of other
conveniences of modern life.
4. RESPONSIBLE CREDIT PRACTICES The credit industry must
be required to curb its exorbitant interest rates and misleading
marketing practices that target vulnerable consumers, such as minors
and people with low incomes. The industry should also provide
consumers the full information they need about penalties and the real
cost of the debt that they accumulate each month.
5. BETTER AUTO STANDARDS As automakers make vehicles bigger
and faster, they should not sacrifice safety or environmental
protection. New measures to reduce pollution from cars and light
trucks are an important step in the right direction. But we still
need standards for the rollover risks of sports utility vehicles
(SUVs).
6. ELIMINATION OF RISKY PESTICIDE USES The government
should finally ban pesticide uses that can easily be replaced with
safer alternatives. It should enforce the laws to ensure that the
uses of pesticides are safe for children, whether used on food, in
homes, at schools or other places where children are likely to be
exposed.
7. GREATER OVERSIGHT OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS For the
sake of human health and environmental safety, genetically modified
foods should be subject to pre-market safety reviews. These foods
should be properly labeled so consumers can make informed
choices.
8. E-COMMERCE, SAFE AND SOUND E-commerce shoppers should
have the same consumer protections as people who shop at
brick-and-mortar businesses. The push to expand the reach of
e-commerce should be matched by a commitment to give consumers
accurate information, good customer service, and protections for
their private data.
9. MORE SCRUTINY OF "MEGAMERGERS" Looking at the number of
business mergers in today's marketplace, "big" may not necessarily
mean "bad." But when companies merge, they should be required to
demonstrate that there would be no harms to consumers, such as higher
prices and fewer choices.
10. COMPETITION IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS MARKET As
technology improves by leaps and bounds, it is time for the
telecommunications industry to deliver on its promise of competition
for local phone service, cable TV and the new high-speed broadband
Internet services coming on the market. Bring on the
tele-competition!
Consumers Union, Publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, is an independent nonprofit testing, educational and information organization serving only the consumers. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public and protect consumers.
