CONSUMERconnection
Health history
in one place Also:
■ Get rich—not
■ Child seats
By David Horowitz
AN EXPERIMENTAL electronic medical database
is being launched, enabling people to keep important health records in one place, accessible from
anywhere. Such information now exists only on
paper, scattered among the files of patients, doctors, pharmacists and other health-care providers,
making it difficult to coordinate treatment.
This “medical Internet” could serve some 2. 5
million people, consolidating their personal health
records in one location. The centralized system
would provide convenient access to everything in a
person’s medical history, which could reduce the
chances of medical mistakes, improve treatment of
chronic illnesses and eventually save billions of dollars by avoiding duplicative services.
The project, called Dossia, was founded by a
partnership of five major U.S. corporations with the
purpose of providing their employees and retirees
with an independent, lifelong health record. More
corporations are expected to join the project. The
companies say the system could increase efficiency
and give patients detailed information to promote
healthier behavior as well as more effective treatment at lower prices.
This is a development that I believe consumers
should keep an eye on. For more information, see
www.dossia.org.
Ask David
Horowitz
WHEN I WAS out of
my office we got a call
from a salesperson at a
supply company we do
not use. He talked one
of our employees into
ordering cheap paper
and ribbons for our
credit-card machine for
$350, promising a two-
day return if our com-
pany wasn’t pleased.
We were unhappy with
the product, but could
not return it since two
days had passed. How
do I stop this from
happening again?
Loretta
Los Angeles, California
Fighting get-rich-quick scams
The money-promising ads use headlines such
as “No Risk! Guaranteed,” “Quick and Easy!” and
“Earn Big Bucks Working at Home.” But don’t
believe them.
For years, fightback.com has been giving this
warning to people who would fall for such “get rich
quick the easy way” scams: Financial success does
not come quick or easy.
Now the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has
launched Project Fal$e Hope$, joining with state
law-enforcement agencies to target alleged business
opportunities and bogus work-at-home scams.
“Bogus business opportunities trample on
dreams of financial independence that don’t exist,”
the FTC says. “If a business opportunity promises
no risk, little effort and big profits, it almost certainly is a scam. These scams offer only a money
pit—consumers never achieve the riches and financial freedom promised.”
For more information, check out the FTC’s
Project Fal$e Hope$ online at
www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/
12/ falsehopes.htm.
Safe use of child seats
Four years ago, the government required that all
new vehicles and child safety seats must have attachments designed to make them fit together like a key
in a lock, without using a seat belt. Safety advocates
found that the traditional method of using seat belts
to attach a car seat can lead to a loose fit. So, the
“LATCH” system, which stands for “Lower Anchors
and Tethers for Children ,” was developed to make sure seats fit tightly.
But a National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
survey says many parents are
confused about the proper way
to install child safety seats. The
government found that 40
percent of parents still
rely on seat belts when
installing a car seat;
only about 55 percent
of parents use the top
tether built into the
vehicle’s back seat.
The study also
found that more
than half of the parents who did not use
the upper tether or
lower attachments
cited a lack of knowledge of the system.
For details on
proper installation,
go to
www.nhtsa.gov
and enter “LATCH” in
the “Search” box. C
AMY CAN TRELL
David Horowitz is a leading consumer advocate.
His “Fight Back!” commentaries are heard daily on
the Jones Radio Network. For stations and times,
check the radio page at
www.fightback.com.
© 2007 FIGHT BACK! INC. ALL RIGH TS RESERVED.
YOU WERE tricked by
an old scam that’s been
around for years.
The worst part of
the scam is trying
to run down the
con artists. Some-
times the ship-
ment never
arrives and the
company loses
its money. Other
outfits send shoddy
merchandise “collect,”
pick up the payment
and refuse to con-
sider returns.
Here’s a plan to
avoid being scammed
by these fast-talkers:
accept phone calls
and orders in only one
department of your
company, by the person
in charge. Then insist
on a written return
policy to invoke if you
are not satisfied.
Do you have a question for David?
Just log on to
www.fightback.com and “Ask David.” He will personally respond
to your problem if you follow the instructions printed on his Web site. (Costco
members receive a rebate off the normal fee.) Questions and answers of the greatest
interest to Costco members will be used in this column with the permission of the
contributor and will be posted on
www.fightback.com.
