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What's at stake: Long before anyone ever heard of COVID-19, U.S. consumers were plagued by surprise medical bills. These are typically charges for medical care that a patient believed would be covered by insurance but turn out to have been provided by an out-of-network doctor or other provider. Almost 1 in 5 emergency room visits triggers a surprise medical bill. And they often amount to many thousands of dollars.
The pandemic has only made the problem worse. Loopholes in COVID-19 relief legislation have left many consumers vulnerable to large medical bills for tests and treatments they reasonably assumed would be covered by insurance.
How CR has your back: CR has been fighting surprise medical bills for much of the past decade, most recently as part of the No Surprises coalition. CR advocates have helped pass state-level bans, briefed federal legislative staffers on the issue, recruited patients to tell their stories in public forums, and collected thousands of consumer signatures demanding legislative action.
All these efforts have finally paid off. The $900 billion pandemic relief bill signed into law Dec. 27 included provisions that, among other things, end balance billing (the practice of charging consumers the difference between the provider charge and the insurer's allowed amount), ensure that emergency room care is billed at in-network rates, and relieve consumers of the burden of negotiating surprise bills with providers. Even enormous air ambulance charges—a problem CR called attention to in a May 2017 report—are now banned. The restrictions on surprise bills go into effect Jan. 1, 2022.
What you can do: Until then, learn how to fight surprise medical bills from our article, "Congress May Have a Cure for Surprise Medical Bills."
Bridging the Digital Divide
What's at stake: Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, millions of us have headed online every day to get food, healthcare, education, and work—not to mention connect with family and friends. It's no surprise that, in a nationally representative survey of 2,164 U.S. adults last April, four-fifths said access to broadband is as vital as electricity and running water.
But there are obstacles to getting broadband service for some, especially in rural areas. And a lack of competition among providers has enabled costs to soar, shutting out the most financially vulnerable Americans. Almost half of low-income households don't have broadband internet at home.
How CR has your back: As Congress debated COVID-19 relief, CR pushed for an emergency program defraying the cost of broadband. More than 88,000 people signed a CR petition or wrote emails calling on Congress to help. When the relief bill passed, CR scored a win: $3.2 billion will go to help struggling families stay connected, including up to $50 per month in internet assistance.
What you can do: Learn more about CR's Digital Lab and its fight for digital rights, at lab.cr.org.
Banning Toxic Packaging
What's at stake: CR has reported extensively on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as "forever chemicals" because they don't easily break down in the environment or the human body. Exposure has been linked to an array of health problems, including cancer and immune disorders, as well as learning delays in children.
Manufacturers add PFAS to food packaging to make it water- and grease-resistant. But it can contaminate the food it touches. The Food and Drug Administration has detected PFAS in foods sold around the country, including in produce, meat, seafood, and dairy products.
How CR has your back: CR advocates are working with state and federal policymakers to minimize exposure to PFAS. In December, CR helped pass a law banning PFAS-containing food packaging in New York, which joins Washington and Maine as the first states with such prohibitions.
What you can do: Learn more about the risks of PFAS and how to protect yourself by reading "Why Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals' Are Still Allowed in America's Drinking Water."
CR Call to Action
Your credit report can make or break your financial future, potentially determining whether you get a home loan, affordable auto insurance, or even a job. Yet credit reports can be rife with errors. And most Americans don't check their reports annually. So CR is launching the Credit Checkup. Sign up and we'll show you how to check your credit report free of charge and what errors to look for. And we'll ask you to report back to us on the results, which will help us hold credit bureaus more accountable. Sign up at CR.org/creditcheckup. And learn more by reading "Why the Pandemic May Be Hurting Your Credit Score."
Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the March 2021 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
