How to get a good faith estimate for medical and dental care
Here are the steps to getting a written good faith estimate before receiving scheduled medical or dental care.
Good news
A round up of the latest good news, progress and actions in the public interest.
The Latest on Good news
STATEMENT: FDA says PFAS completely phased out of U.S. food packaging
STATEMENT: Biden administration takes steps to protect Arctic from drilling
Updates
280 more school districts are getting clean buses
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The Latest
How I’m supercharging my savings with socially responsible investing (SRI)
Getting my finances in order has been a work in progress over several years, starting with tackling credit card debt, paying off my car loan and then building an emergency fund. After clearing those hurdles, I set more defined financial goals and plans in motion this year, including automatic deposits into new investment accounts.
Austin approves contract to acquire nearly 200 new electric buses
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (CapMetro) board of directors approved a new contract on Wednesday to purchase 197 new electric buses over the next five years for Austin’s public fleets, one of the largest electric vehicle purchases ever made in the United States.
Report: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns 10
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) turns 10 years old, a new report from TexPIRG Ed Fund recaps how the agency has helped consumers over the past decade and the steps under way to refocus the CFPB on its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration. The report also provides recommendations for CFPB action moving forward, especially on credit reporting. The CFPB opened its doors on July 21, 2011, one year after President Barack Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Typically referred to as “Dodd-Frank” or “Wall Street Reform,” this law created the CFPB in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crash caused, in large part, by the financial industry’s malfeasance. The CFPB became the United States’ first federal agency dedicated to protecting consumers from financial shenanigans.
CFPB Adds Consumer Stories to Public Complaint Database
Today, the CFPB took a step to make its excellent public database of consumer complaints even better, by adding complaint narratives (stories), but only with the consumer's consent. It's a step we've long urged. It will enrich our research into the marketplace, help consumers make choices and help good-actor firms avoid bad practices by others.
U.S. PIRG Commends Defense Department for Protecting Military Families from Predatory Lenders
Today, we applaud the Department of Defense for its proposal to expand the protections of the 2007 Military Lending Act against predatory financial practices aimed at servicemembers and veterans and their families and that threaten the nation's military preparedness. The proposal also closes loopholes exploited by payday lenders, auto title pawn companies and other lenders to evade the law's intended protections.