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Blog Post | Health Care

CO-OP Health Insurance Promises Greater Consumer Control | David Rosenfeld

What if your health insurance company answered to you?  What if it could be held accountable for its policies and fees through member elections? 

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Blog Post | Food

2.8 billion Twinkies is a lot of Twinkies | David Rosenfeld

We’ve already documented that at least $1 billion in taxpayer dollars directly subsidize the production of junk food ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils that are the main ingredients in Twinkies, soda and other junk food products. If you spent all that money on Twinkies, it would be enough to buy about 2.8 billion of those golden colored sweets (at the estimated wholesale rate of 36 cents per Twinkie), or about 19 Twinkies per taxpayer. But the fun math doesn’t need to stop there, especially when we’re talking 2.8 billion Twinkies.

 

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Have you ever experienced a yo-yo scam from a car dealer? | David Rosenfeld

Our friends at the Center for Responsible Lending just released a new report on yo-yo car buying scams.

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Blog Post | Transportation

Two good inter-city transit developments | David Rosenfeld

Two interesting (and at face value, good) announcements today from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

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Media Hit | Tax

OSPIRG Is Going After Tax Cheats

A new study by the consumer group OSPIRG finds that corporations and the nation's richest have avoided $100 Billion in taxes by putting their money in offshore accounts like the Cayman Islands. 

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Media Hit | Tax

OPB story mentions OSPIRG tax havens report

At the same time, the Oregon Public Interest Research Group released a new study saying that offshore tax havens cost Oregon taxpayers about $300 a year each, in lost state revenue.

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Media Hit | Transportation

Study Says Teens are Waiting to Get Their Driver's License

Oregon's roads have actually increased in traffic over the last several years, but as far as drivers 15 to 18, that number has decreased.

The OSPIRG Foundation and Frontier Group say the key factors keeping kids off the roads include gas prices, insurance costs and finding different methods of transit such as biking or public transportation.

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News Release | OSPIRG Foundation | Health Care

Health Insurance Rates to Rise 8-14% for Many Oregon Small Businesses

If approved, the insurer will raise rates 5.56% on average beginning in July, affecting 35,224 Oregonians enrolled in coverage through a small business employer.

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Media Hit

Oregon Receives a B+ in Spending Transparency

Oregon received a B Plus in ‘Transparency of government spending.’ 

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Result | Budget, Tax

MAKING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC

This year, the Oregon Legislature passed a groundbreaking new law in 2011 that will allow the public to see exactly which companies are receiving tax subsidies and what taxpayers get in return.

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Result | Transportation

FUNDING FASTER TRAINS FOR OREGON

OSPIRG Executive Director Dave Rosenfeld recently joined the statewide Rail Funding Task Force. This group, which also includes business leaders from across the state, will recommend the best way to fund Oregon’s rail system.

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Result | Health Care

MAKING HEALTH CARE AFFORDABLE

OSPIRG Health Care Advocate Laura Etherton helped lead efforts to require Oregon health insurers to meet tougher standards to prove premium increases are reasonable. Prompted in part by OSPIRG advocacy, Oregon officials scaled back a request by United Healthcare to raise health insurance rates by nearly 17%, saving 14,000 Oregonians a cumulative $4 million in 2011.

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Result | Consumer Protection

KIDS’ SCHOOL LUNCHES NOW SAFER

For years, America’s schoolchildren have been eating beef, chicken and other foods that would have been rejected as substandard even by fast food chains. Thanks in part to our advocacy, the U.S.D.A. has stopped buying such low-quality meat for school lunches.

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Result | Health Care

Young People Now Covered

This year, the federal health care reforms that OSPIRG worked to win have started to pay off for young people. In the past, teens saw their premiums soar or were denied coverage when they turned 19, even if they’d been insured their whole lives. Now, they can remain on their parents’ plans until age 26. 

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Report | OSPIRG | Tax

Picking Up the Tab

When corporations and wealthy individuals hide their billions of dollars in offshore tax havens, average Oregonians pick up the tab.  Oregon taxpayers and small businesses end up paying for these lost billions through higher taxes, cuts in public services or increasing the national debt—the equivalent of $309 per Oregon taxpayer in 2011, or $931 million for all of Oregon.

 

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Report | OSPIRG Foundation | Transportation

Transportation and the New Generation

Federal and local governments have historically made massive investments in new highway capacity on the assumption that driving will continue to increase at a rapid and steady pace. The changing transportation preferences of young people—and Americans overall—throw those assumptions into doubt. The time has come for transportation policy to reflect the needs and desires of today’s Americans—not the worn-out conventional wisdom from days gone by.

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Report | OSPIRG Foundation | Health Care

Comments on PacificSource's Small Business Rate Hike Proposal

PacificSource is proposing to increase rates 5.56% on average, affecting 35,224 Oregonians enrolled in small business plans. If approved, this rate increase will have wide ranging impacts. Most enrollees will see increases of between 6% and 10%. Some will see increases of up to 11.2%. Over 27% will see increases of between 8% and 14%.

 

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Report | OSPIRG Foundation | Budget

Following the Money 2012

This report is OSPIRG Foundation’s third annual ranking of states’ progress toward “Transparency 2.0” – a new standard of comprehensive, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility. The past year has seen continued progress, with new states providing online access to government spending information and several states pioneering new tools to further expand citizens’ access to spending information and engagement with government.

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Blog Post | Health Care

CO-OP Health Insurance Promises Greater Consumer Control | David Rosenfeld

What if your health insurance company answered to you?  What if it could be held accountable for its policies and fees through member elections? 

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Food

2.8 billion Twinkies is a lot of Twinkies | David Rosenfeld

We’ve already documented that at least $1 billion in taxpayer dollars directly subsidize the production of junk food ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils that are the main ingredients in Twinkies, soda and other junk food products. If you spent all that money on Twinkies, it would be enough to buy about 2.8 billion of those golden colored sweets (at the estimated wholesale rate of 36 cents per Twinkie), or about 19 Twinkies per taxpayer. But the fun math doesn’t need to stop there, especially when we’re talking 2.8 billion Twinkies.

 

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Have you ever experienced a yo-yo scam from a car dealer? | David Rosenfeld

Our friends at the Center for Responsible Lending just released a new report on yo-yo car buying scams.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Transportation

Two good inter-city transit developments | David Rosenfeld

Two interesting (and at face value, good) announcements today from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Tax

Offshore Tax Havens Cost Oregon Taxpayers Dearly | David Rosenfeld

Just in time for Tax Day, OSPIRG released another fine piece of work from our national Budget and Taxes guru Phineas Baxendall.  The report-Picking up the Tab: Average Citizens and Small Businesses Pay the Price for Offshore Tax Havens-examines the practice of hiding legitimate U.S. profits and income in offshore tax havens. While this has mostly been discussed as a federal matter, the topic has a big impact on Oregon taxpayers, small businesses and state revenue.

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Tools & Resources

  • YOUR TAX DOLLARS BECOME TWINKIES
    Billions of taxpayer dollars have subsidized the ingredients in junk food. We're calling on Congress to end agribusinesses handouts.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • Fighting Unjustified Premium Hikes
    It’s time for health insurers to get serious about lowering the cost of care instead of raising deductibles and hiking premiums.
    Learn more
    JOIN THE CAMPAIGN
  • Stop Tax Dodgers
    Corporate tax avoidance cost taxpayers $100 billion last year. We're working to close the loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying the taxes they owe.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • Have Questions? OSPIRG Has Answers.
    How do I avoid bank fees? What are my rights as a renter? If you have a question on a consumer issue, ask OSPIRG. We'll email you back.
    Ask now

PRIORITY ACTION

Every year, our tax dollars pay for enough corn syrup and other junk food additives to buy 2.8 million Twinkies. It's time to stop subsidizing obesity.

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