ACT | The App Association statement from president Morgan Reed on FTC suit against Amazon
Today, ACT | The App Association released a statement from president Morgan Reed on the FTC action against Amazon: “Today’s announcement is another attempt by the FTC to reshape innovation by challenging the value of digital marketplaces for small businesses. “The smallest companies, including our members, benefit the most from today’s digital marketplaces. By taking advantage of bundled services offered through online marketplaces such as reduced overhead costs, immediate global distribution, and most importantly, a fast track to consumer trust, [...]
FSAs and HSAs Miss Opportunities to Help Americans
Do you have a guess when menstrual products were first categorized as allowable expenses for health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs)? Although FSAs were first introduced in the Revenue Act of 1978, and the forerunner to HSAs became part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996, menstrual products were not an allowable medical expense until the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) in 2020! This mind-boggling oversight is one [...]
Lost in the Consumer Protection Forest: The Safety Glade
Earlier this summer, we waded through the nuances within the consumer protection forest in the hopes that policymakers around the world understand there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to protecting consumers online and that the different elements and issue areas in this arena require thoughtful, purposeful leadership. In order to protect the most at-risk populations, lawmakers must tackle consumer protection issues one by one, especially nuanced issues aimed at protecting vulnerable groups, like children. Children’s Online Safety in the United [...]
Understanding the CRA: An update
Earlier this summer, we outlined the ins and outs of Europe’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), including our four main concerns, particularly in relation to small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) like our member companies. Since then, both the European Parliament’s (EP) Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE) and the EU Council, representing European Member States, have voiced their perspectives ahead of the CRA's Plenary vote later this fall. Below, we have outlined changes the CRA has seen since our last update [...]
¬Americans Don’t Know Where Their FSA Dollars are Going—I Sure Didn’t
Healthcare is a difficult topic in the United States. We face doctor shortages, medication shortages, and long wait times for specialty referrals, not to mention difficulties paying for treatment. In a system like ours that focuses on reactive treatment of acute problems rather than proactive or preventive treatment, patients will always struggle. Even some of the systems in place to make healthcare work better don’t function the way they should. The health flexible spending account (FSA) is one of [...]