Search this section • RSS Feed

Uncovered: How California’s health care system fails young people.	2009-11-17
Young people, including college students, are on the front lines of the health care crisis. This report explores the under-appreciated problems facing California's youth in our health care system.
Get Report

The Three Trillion Dollar Question: What Health Care Reform Can Save For Families, Businesses and Taxpayers	2009-08-04
Without health care reform, the United States is projected to spend over $40 trillion on health care in the next decade. Experts estimate that thirty percent of that spending – up to $12 trillion dollars – will be wasted on ineffective care, pointless red tape, and counterproductive treatments that can actually harm patients.
Get Report

The Small Business Dilemma	2009-07-21
Three hundred and forty-three small business owners and managers across the country made their views heard through a survey which investigated the impact of health care costs on their businesses.
Get Report

Trouble In Toyland: The 23rd Annual Toy Safety Survey	2008-11-25
The 2008 Trouble in Toyland report is the 23rd annual Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) survey of toy safety. This report provides safety guidelines for parents when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.
Get Report

Total Recall: The Need for CPSC Reform Now	2008-07-23
The year 2007 was called the year of the recall. But in 2008, recalls are up, according to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data. Already, as these data show, more toys and children's products have been recalled in the first half of this year than in the first half of last year, a supposed "100-year-flood" period.
Get Report

Diagnosing the High Cost of Health Care: How Spending on Unnecessary Treatments, Administrative Waste, and Overpriced Drugs Inflates the Cost of Health Care in California	2008-07-09
By finding ways to cut waste in its health care system and to reform an incentive structure that encourages overspending, California can reduce the burden that health care costs impose on our economy.
Get Report

The Campus Credit Card Trap: A Survey of College Students and Credit Card Marketing	2008-04-03
The results of a nationwide USPIRG survey of more than 1500 students at 40 colleges in 14 states, show that students overwhelmingly support limits on campus credit card marketing.
Get Report

Trouble in Toyland: The 22nd Annual Survey of Toy Safety	2007-11-20
The 2007 Trouble in Toyland report is the 22nd annual Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) survey of toy safety. This report provides safety guidelines for parents when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.
Get Report

Paying the Price: The High Cost of Prescription Drugs for Uninsured Americans	2006-07-11
Today, nearly 46 million Americans under the age of 65 lack health insurance, and millions more with insurance lack prescription drug coverage. At the same time, prescription drug prices are skyrocketing in the United States, rising much faster than the rate of inflation.
Get Report

Mistakes Do Happen: A Look at Errors in Consumer Credit Reports	2004-06-17
The most common reflection of our reputation as a trustworthy consumer is our credit report. Unfortunately, the information contained in our credit reports, which are bought and sold daily to nearly anyone who requests and pays for them, does not always tell a true story.
Get Report

Spring Broke: How to Avoid a Spring Break Ripoff	2004-03-08
Travel packages, in which students pay one price for their entire vacation and all arrangements are made on their behalf, can be a tempting option for students - they often appear to offer competitive prices on airfare and accommodations while removing the burden of organizing the trip from the student. Our survey found that travel agencies offering spring break packages often engage in deceptive advertising.
Get Report

Deflate Your Rate: How To Lower Your Credit Card APR	2002-03-27
We investigated whether consumers could fight back on their own against unfair and unreasonable credit card interest rates.
Get Report

The Credit Card Trap: How To Spot It, How To Avoid It	2001-04-05
In a survey of credit card offers, the state PIRGs found two major themes: (1) credit card terms and conditions are becoming less favorable to consumers; and (2) credit card marketing practices are misleading and deceptive.
Get Report