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House Moves To Harness Medicare’s Buying Power
An NMPIRG-backed bill would harness the buying power of Medicare to drive better deals on prescription drugs for millions of Americans.
The bill, adopted by the House in January, would allow the Medicare program to negotiate bulk-purchase discounts for prescription drugs. As this newsletter goes to print, the Senate Finance Committee has taken up the bill. When Congress created the prescription drug benefit in 2003, lawmakers prohibited Medicare from negotiating discounted prices with drug manufacturers, a concession to the pharmaceutical industry.
The House vote is a move to correct that mistake. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act would save money for taxpayers, who pay for nearly 75 percent of the drug program. It would also lower drug costs for seniors in the “doughnut hole” coverage gap, who have to pay thousands of dollars for their medications.
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TJX Data Breach: Need For ID Theft Reform
The January disclosure of a data security breach at TJX stores (including TJ Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls) gave advocates new ammunition for our identity theft work.
The breach is just the latest demonstration of why identity theft reforms are needed. New laws, based on a model law developed by U.S. PIRG, the federation of state PIRGs, and Consumers Union, have already been enacted in over two dozen states, requiring timely notification of any data breaches.
TJX not only failed to announce the breach for several months—in February they reported that the data breach happened at least 10 months longer than previously thought. With no national requirement for disclosure of breaches, and no penalty for companies, there’s little recourse for consumers.
The attorneys general of Massachusetts and Rhode Island have opened formal investigations into the conduct of TJX over the breach. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, herself a victim of identity theft, has promised to make cracking down on the crime a priority of her tenure.
Both MASSPIRG and Maryland PIRG are leading efforts to give their residents the right to timely notification of corporate data breaches and the right to place low-cost, easy-to-use security freezes on their credit reports.
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STATE TRANSIT CAMPAIGNS—Eric Bourassa is advocating better public transit in Massachusetts, one of several states where PIRGs are pushing for better transit policies. |
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Local Campaigns Defend Public Transit Alternatives
PIRG campaigns nationwide are seeking to advance public transportation that helps people save time and energy, while cutting pollution from cars and trucks.
In California, we’re building a statewide coalition of seniors, environmental advocates, disability rights advocates, and others to sign onto a platform opposing cuts to transit funding. CALPIRG is also educating opinion leaders about the proposed cuts in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget.
In Illinois, a combination of outdated public funding mechanisms and rising costs has forced some tough decisions. Illinois PIRG hopes to partner with community groups this summer to run a public education campaign on transit advocacy.
In Massachusetts, the local transit authority has raised fares for the third time in seven years, in part to pay off debt incurred by projects related to the “Big Dig” construction project.
MASSPIRG is helping to organize a Transportation Investment Coalition that includes business and labor interests, as well as public interest and environmental groups.
In 2006, PennPIRG supported Gov. Ed Rendell’s plan to create dedicated transit funding through fees on oil companies.
Thousands of PennPIRG members and other supporters have signed postcards to legislators calling for action to improve the state’s transit system.
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EPA Weakens Toxics Right-To-Know Protections
In 2004 alone, U.S. industrial facilities released 1.5 billion pounds of toxic pollutants linked to serious health effects, threatening hundreds of communities across the country, according to a new report released in March by U.S. PIRG.
The report, “Toxic Pollution and Health,” uses information from the federal Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) to analyze toxic pollution linked to serious health problems such as cancer, birth defects or neurological damage. Due to a recent EPA action restricting the public’s right to know, this report may provide one of the last complete pictures of toxic pollution.
“This report confirms that the health of many communities across the country is routinely put at risk by toxic pollution,” said PIRG Staff Attorney Alex Fidis. “Unfortunately, EPA’s attack on the public’s right to know means that many communities will be left in the dark about this risk. EPA’s rollbacks take communities from the information age back to the Stone Age. |
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