Current Events in October 2017

Would your family know what to do if the smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night?

According to a survey conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), three-quarters of Americans have created an escape plan in case of a fire at home. However, less than half of those people have ever practiced their plans.  

Fire Prevention Week is this week -- October 8-14, 2017. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out” aims to reinforce potentially life-saving messages.

Have a first and second way out

Fire safety officials say you may have as little as 1-2 minutes to escape safely after you hear the smoke alarm sound. For this reason, it’s critical to make sure every family member knows how to use that small timeframe effectively.

The NFPA recommends making an escape plan that shows two ways out of every room in case one exit gets blocked. Additionally, it's important to practice those plans to make sure they can be accomplished in two minutes or less.

Here are a few tips for developing and practicing your home escape plan.

• Create a plan based on your home’s layout. Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit. 
• Perform a mock evacuation twice a year. Practice your fire escape plan at least twice a year. Conduct one practice run at night (since about half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between the hours of 11:00 pm and 7:00 am, according to the NFPA) and one during the day with everyone in your home. Practice using different ways out.
• Teach kids to “get low and go.” Make sure your children know the emergency phone number for your fire department, as well as how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them. Teach them that "stop, drop, and roll" should only be used if their clothing catches fire. Otherwise, crouching down very low and crawling around the perimeter of the room to the exit is best.
• Never go back inside a burning building. Close doors behind you as you leave. This may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire. And once you get outside, stay outside.
• Make sure your house number is visible. To help firefighters, make sure your house or building number can be seen from the street.
• Establish a family meeting spot. Whether it’s a tree, light pole, or some other permanent landmark, make sure your family has agreed on a meeting place to gather in front of your home after escaping. 
• Make sure your smoke alarms work. Reliable, properly placed smoke detectors are vital to keeping your family safe. Be sure to check your smoke detectors regularly to make sure they are working properly

Solar energy is a significant contributor to the nation's power grid, but the sun's energy is also being used on a smaller scale to power an increasing number of consumer products.

Instead of generating electricity on a large scale, small-scale solar generators are being used for everything from recharging electric devices to cooking food.

The Goal Zero Guide 10 Solar Recharging Kit is made up of two fold-out solar panels that collect enough solar energy to recharge cellphones, music players, and GPS devices. The manufacturer says it will recharge a smartphone in one hour.

These devices are popular with hikers and campers who want to escape to the great outdoors but still want to remain connected to the world. Solar manufacturers have discovered that the technology is perfectly suited to producing the small amount of power needed to keep electronic devices running.

Another product called Sun Juice is a thin, flexible solar mat that its manufacturer says will generate 7.5 watts of power. Because it's thin and light weight, the company says it's easy to transport, whether you're biking or backpacking.

Solar stove

GoSun is a portable cook stove that uses the sun's energy to boil liquids and cook food. The device was designed for use in the wild or in suburban backyards, and the manufacturer says it even works when there's light cloud cover or when it's snowing.

GoSun Founder Patrick Sherwin says the stove weighs a mere two pounds, zips into a clamshell case, and can generate 550 degrees Fahrenheit of heat inside, while remaining cool to the touch outside.

“With the Go, our goal was to make a stove portable enough to take anywhere, with the power to boil water, at a price point that anyone could give a try.” Sherwin said.

Solar awnings

In some cases, manufacturers of traditional home products are adopting solar energy to make their products more functional. SunModo -- a company that makes awnings – recently introduced SunShield, an awning that replaces the fabric with arrays of small solar cells.

While blocking the sun from heating up outdoor spaces, or getting inside a building, the SunShield also collects the sun's energy and uses it to generate electricity. Since the awnings are actually solar arrays, they qualify for a 30 percent solar energy tax credit, something an ordinary awning would not qualify for.

"We believe awnings are the next big frontier that will further accelerate the adoption of solar, which will reduce our society's carbon footprint while providing an elegant yet functional shield from sun, wind, and weather," SunModo CEO Rick Campfield said just before the product launch in July.

There will undoubtedly be an increasing number of solar-powered consumer products in the coming years, but they will be using a technology that's been around for decades. As National Geographic recently pointed out, solar power was used to power handheld calculators, making them cheaper and faster than the first models.

A new study from the University of Tübingen in Germany concludes that homework can positively impact students by making them more conscientious, potentially conflicting with previous studies that indicate too much homework can be harmful.

The researchers analyzed 2,760 German students in Grades 5-8 over the course of three years and found that students who put a lot of work into their homework benefitted by becoming more conscientious, according to self-reports and parental feedback. The results indicate that these same students were able to overcome a “dip” in conscientiousness that usually occurs in late childhood and early adolescence.

Lead author Richard Göllner says that previous studies have largely neglected how homework can positively shape a young person's personality.

“Our results show that homework is not only relevant for school performance, but also for personality development – provided that students put a lot of effort into their assignments,” he said. “We need to define more precisely what expectations we have of the potential of homework and how these expectations can be fulfilled.”

Too much homework bad for health

While this study reinforces the positive academic and social aspects behind assigning homework, previous research has shown that homework can also be detrimental to student development if too much of it is assigned at a young age.

In a 2015 study published by the National Education Association (NEA), researchers from Brown University found that Kindergarteners averaged nearly 25 minutes of homework, with the load increasing in subsequent years. Lead researcher Robert Pressman said that all that extra work can weigh heavily on the whole family.

“The levels of family stress and tension found in this study fall into ranges that could lead to detrimental physical and mental health,” he said.

“The Kindergarten homework load was identical to that of first and second graders. In that period when children are focused on early stages of socialization and finessing motor skills, an overload of homework will likely interfere with a Kindergartener’s ability to play and participate in extra-curricular activities.”

Using homework the right way

So, how can educators walk the line between encouraging positive traits and overloading students? Lara McAneny, a New York state educator and recent winner of the Helmy El-Sherif Teacher to Harvard Award, says that homework should always reinforce key skills that are learned in the classroom, never be assigned punitively, and consider different family dynamics.

“For younger students, I don’t think there should be more than 20-30 minutes of homework that they can do by themselves, and if teachers aren’t providing them with a task that can be done independently then I don’t think that’s helpful to the family dynamic because it does add stress,” she tells ConsumerAffairs.

“Some kids don’t even see their parents because they’re working full-time or working late, so to then have them come to class with homework that’s wrong or incomplete, it might just be that they have no one there to support them, and then they’re being penalized at age 8 or 10 for something that’s completely out of their control.”

McAneny concludes by saying that homework is a tool that can help students become lifelong learners, but it should never be used so extensively that it takes away from other meaningful developmental time.

“Not only do young children need time to play, develop their social skills, and get outside and be active, but they’re also exhausted," she said. "To expect them to sit down at the table as soon as they get home after a long school day just really defies common logic for that age level and what’s developmentally appropriate,” she said.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has presented new research that shows new infotainment systems found in late model cars and trucks, even those with voice controls, continue to pose dangerous distractions for drivers.

These infotainment systems, which play music from multiple sources and display maps outlining routes, often come with higher levels of sophistication and more features. According to AAA, that's not a good thing.

The researchers say they found drivers who used in-vehicle technologies like voice-based and touch screen features could be both visually and mentally distracted for more than 40 seconds when programming a navigation or sending a text message.

The auto club cites previous research that found taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles the risk of a crash.

Unsafe situations for drivers

"Some in-vehicle technology can create unsafe situations for drivers on the road by increasing the time they spend with their eyes and attention off the road and hands off the wheel," said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Yang doesn't rule out the possibility that in-vehicle technology could be made less distracting. In fact, he says some systems, while far from perfect, are not as bad as others.

"When an in-vehicle technology is not properly designed, simple tasks for drivers can become complicated and require more effort from drivers to complete," Yang said

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, who examined both the visual and mental demands of infortainment systems. They also measured the time it took to complete a task using the systems installed in 30 vehicles from the 2017 model year.

Participants in the study were instructed to use voice command, touch screen, and other interactive technologies to make a call, send a text message, tune the radio, or program navigation -- all while keeping the vehicle on the road.

Navigation most distracting

The study found that programming a navigation system was the most distracting task for a driver, taking an average of 40 seconds to complete.

Remarkably, the study found none of the 30 infotainment system generated low demand on drivers. Seven were found to generate moderate demands on a driver's attention, while 11 generated high demand and 12 were "very high" in their demands.

Among the most demanding were the infotainment systems found in the Honda Civic Touring, Ford Mustang GT, and Tesla Model S.

The least distracting infotainment systems – those imposing a “moderate” demand on the driver – were found in the Chevy Equinox LT, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Toyota Camry SE, and Lincoln MKC Premier.

"Drivers want technology that is safe and easy to use, but many of the features added to infotainment systems today have resulted in overly complex and sometimes frustrating user experiences for drivers," said Marshall Doney, AAA's CEO.

Doney says drivers are more distracted when they encounter problems using the audio or navigation systems in their cars. However, since research shows consumers like these sophisticated systems, Doney says AAA is meeting with auto manufacturers and suppliers to find ways to make them easier to use.

Millennials are dominating the housing market for the fourth consecutive year, according to research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, 49 percent of Millennials don’t have the necessary funds set aside to cover a $500 emergency expense.

An unforeseen expense can be a crushing blow to a budget. That’s why homeowners — especially first-time Millennial buyers — should take steps to protect themselves from the unexpected.

Unanticipated expenses are almost guaranteed to occur. As David Bach writes in his bestseller "The Automatic Millionaire" -- "No matter how well you plan or how positively you think, there are always things out of your control that can go wrong."

Protecting your home and budget

A FedEx truck might accidentally back into your house, leading to a $900 gutter repair bill. The air conditioner or washing machine could break. You may discover that your neighborhood is prone to power outages, so you’ll need to invest in a pricey backup generator.

Unexpected costs like these can wreak havoc on a budget, but preparing for them can go a long way toward protecting yourself. Here are a few steps first-time buyers should take in order to help keep their budget intact.

• Determine how your house fits into your budget. When figuring out how much of your income you can comfortably afford to put toward mortgage payments, think about what might happen in the future. What if you become a parent, buy a car, or lose your job? To ensure you're not “house poor” if any of these things happen, the U.S. Census Bureau recommends that borrowers spend no more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

• Shop around for homeowners insurance. Your lender will require you to buy homeowners insurance, which can help protect your home and possessions in the event of accidents, disasters, fires, theft, and more. However, be sure to look closely at what is and isn’t covered in the policies. Going with a less-expensive policy means fewer protections and more out-of-pocket expenses if you file a claim.

• Consider getting a home warranty. Not to be confused with homeowners insurance, a home warranty covers repairs and replacements on systems and appliances due to normal wear and tear. It is an optional purchase, but you can rest assured that your budget won’t be destroyed if your heating and cooling system, electrical system, plumbing system, or one of your appliances breaks down. The older your home, the greater the odds are that something will break -- and the more helpful a home warranty might be.

• Decide if you need flood insurance. If your new home is in a flood-prone area, you may want to buy separate flood insurance. Flood damage isn’t covered by homeowners insurance.

• Get help if needed. If you're having trouble combing through the fine print, consider letting an experienced agent help guide you through the process of figuring out which policy will provide the best protection for your household.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use infant sleep positioners -- also known as “nests” or “anti-roll” products -- because they pose a suffocation hazard to babies.

"The federal government has received reports about babies who have died from suffocation associated with their sleep positioners," the FDA said in a statement, adding that suffocation can occur when the baby rolls from their side onto their stomach.

Typically marketed for babies under six months old, sleep positioners usually include two raised pillows or “bolsters” attached to a mat. Parents and caregivers often use sleep positioners to keep babies in a specific position while they are sleeping.

However, sleep surfaces that are not clear of soft objects (such as positioners) can increase the risk for accidental suffocation and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), says the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Risks outweigh possible benefits

This isn’t the first time the FDA has issued such a warning. In 2010, the FDA, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and the AAP issued a joint warning after reviewing reports of 12 infant deaths associated with sleep positioners in the preceding 13 years.

"Sleep positioners do not prevent SIDS and in fact can increase the risk of babies suffocating," the AAP said in 2010. "These deaths are tragic and avoidable."

Although some sleep positioners have been marketed as products to ease gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or help prevent flat head syndrome (plagiocephaly), the FDA says it has “never cleared an infant sleep positioner that claims to prevent or reduce the risk of SIDS.”

Furthermore, the agency adds that “there is no scientifically sound evidence to support medical claims about sleep positioners.”

Creating a safe sleep environment

The FDA says it can “continue to take action against manufacturers who make unproven medical claims about their products.” Meanwhile, parents and caregivers can keep babies safe by not using sleep positioners.

Approximately 4,000 infants die every year while sleeping from accidental suffocation, SIDS, or unknown causes, according to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

To reduce the risk of SIDS and sleep accidents, the FDA urges parents to heed the following advice for creating a safe sleeping environment:

• Never use infant sleep positioners. Using pillows or bolsters to keep an infant on his or her side or back is dangerous, says the FDA.
• Keep sleep surfaces bare. Don’t put pillows, blankets, toys, loose sheets, comforters, or quilts under a baby or in a crib. Pillows are not necessary for babies, and adequate clothing (not blankets) can be used to keep babies warm.
• Follow the ABCs of safe sleep. Always place your baby to sleep on his or her back at night and during nap time. Follow the ABCs of safe sleep: “Alone on the Back in a bare Crib.”

Financial firm State Street–commissioner of the famous "Fearless Girl" statue on Wall Street–has agreed to pay several hundred workers a total of $5 million to settle a federal investigation charging that the company discriminated against women and blacks. 

In news reports and in advertising, State Street has tried to portray itself as an advocate for women climbing the corporate latter. Last month, the Financial Times published a list of male and female business executives who are “champions of women in business.” Among those higlighted was Jeff Conway, State Street's chief executive, because he increased the percentage of females on his executive team from 20% to 35%. 

Not mentioned in that write-up is the federal investigation that said that female and black executives at his company were paid less than their male counterparts.

Fearless Girl statue

State Street has made made an aggressive, well-promoted push to position itself as a feminist corporation, most famously with its commissioning of the bronze “Fearless Girl” statue that faces off against Wall Street’s "Charging Bull". 

“We wanted to highlight the power of women in leadership,” State Street wrote in a Twitter post promoting the statue. It soon became a media sensation and popular tourist attraction. News outlet CNN celebrated the "Fearless Girl" for her ability to "stand her ground, even in the snow."

The artist hired to create the sculpture, Kristen Visbal, said her work was meant to illustrate the challenges women on Wall Street face.  

"Aesthetically, we wanted to create contrast between this larger-than-life, charging bull and this petite, delicate young woman to illustrate the magnitude of what women are up against in the workplace," Visbal had told Delaware Public Media. 

Neither Visbal nor State Street has returned a request for comment from ConsumerAffairs. 

Investigation details

The Department of Labor says in its complaint that State Street discriminated against women who held positions as senior vice president, managing director and vice president and blacks who worked in vice president positions by paying them less then male and white executives at the same level. The wage discrimination occured "since at least December 1, 2010," the agency says.  

State Street is denying the allegations but agreed to give a total 305 female executives and 15 black vice presidents backpay in the amount of $4.5 million total, as the Boston Globe reported.

The workers will receive another $508,000 in interest. 

State Street's practices not unusual

According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, women in the United States are paid 80 cents for every dollar that men earn “amounting to an annual gender wage gap of $10,470.” 

The racial pay gap has also remained staggeringly wide. Statistics from the Pew Research Center indicate that blacks in 2015 earned just 75 percent as much as whites did.

Black and hispanic women are the lowest paid statistical groups compared to white men--earning a respective 65 and 58 cents on the dollar. 

A "woke" public relations effort

As more attention has been called to the unequal treatment that women and minorities receive in the workplace, major corporations have tried to reframe their public images as champions of diversity. But companies may be more interested in projecting a diverse image than actually practicing it. 

Among the factors cited for holding back under-represented workers, (particularly women) are weak family and labor laws. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not mandate paid maternity leave for workers. Simultaneously, early childhood care in some states costs more than college tuition, a factor that may make new parents question the value of their full-time job. 

Executives at major financial firms have tried to enact their own policies to assist parents, but those policies can be anemic compared to the benefits that women enjoy in other countries.

The Financial Times on September 26 celebrated a total of 30 male executives (as well as 50 female executives) who are apparent champions of women in the workplace. The number one-ranked male, the chief executive of the international corporation Vodafone, was honored for a company policy that guarantees women a minimum of 16 weeks paid maternity leave and then allows mothers returning from leave to work four days per week while being compensated for five.

Canadian women, by comparison, are guaranteed 52 weeks in paid maternity leave by their government.

The House of Representatives has approved a budget resolution for 2018, and Congressional analysts say that means major tax reform could be on the horizon.

According to the political news site The Hill, the budget resolution makes it possible to pass a tax bill along party lines, with a simple majority and not a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate. As long as Republicans lose no more than two votes in the Senate, they'll have enough votes to pass sweeping changes in the tax law.

Consumers would certainly be affected, but exactly how depends on their individual circumstances, as well as the final shape of the legislation.

We turned to financial advisors at Betterment, an investment advisory firm, to see what they are telling clients about the possible changes.

'Don't overreact'

“Don’t overreact or make any reactionary plans based off of something that isn’t law, but make sure you’re aware of the changes that are being proposed,” said Garrett Oakley, a CFP at Betterment.

Among the early proposals is a reduction in the number of tax brackets from the current seven to only three. The lowest tax rate would be at 12 percent, the middle bracket at 25 percent, and the top wage earners would pay 35 percent. But Oakley says nothing is set in stone.

“The big thing is is that the proposed plan has not defined tax brackets or the income numbers, which have really big ranges," he told ConsumerAffairs. "If this were to go through, its effect on individuals’ specific situations and families depends on where the income brackets would stop and start.”

The specifics of where the brackets start and stop would likely remain in flux until the final vote, in order to secure every possible vote.

Deductions targeted for elimination

The same is true of tax deductions targeted for elimination. An early proposal would eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes, which would generate billions of income that would help offset cuts in the corporate tax rate. But lawmakers from high-tax states like California and New York are already digging in their heels, saying scraping that deduction would be costly to their constituents.

Eric Bronnenkant, CPA and CFP at Betterment, tells us proposals to do away with other deductions will also meet heavy opposition.

“Eliminating the medical expense deduction is an aspirational component of the Trump Plan," Bronnenkant said. "While it is possible the deduction could be reduced or eliminated, it is very entrenched in the system from a population segment with a historically strong voter turnout."

One of the proposed changes that could have the biggest impact on consumers is the raising of the standard deduction to $12,000 -- nearly double what it is now. The standard deduction is what taxpayers who do not itemize get, with the amount subtracted from their taxable income.

Less advantageous to itemize

If the standard deduction is raised to $12,000, a married couple filing jointly could knock $24,000 off their taxable income. In that case, Oakley said people who have been itemizing deductions might be better off just taking the standard deduction.

Bottom line, Oakley says consumers should pay attention to the upcoming tax debate, and be ready to consult with a trusted advisor when and if some of these proposals become law.

Nestle Waters North America, which owns Poland Spring, is seeking dismissal of a class action lawsuit that alleged the Maine-based company's bottled water did not come from springs.

The company introduced as evidence a number of documents, including a letter from the State of Maine Drinking Water Program (DWP) that affirmed all eight of Poland Spring brand springs in the state “meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definition of spring water.”

In August, 11 plaintiffs filed a class action suit in Connecticut claiming that Poland Spring brand water is essentially filtered ground water, an accusation the company denied at the time.

“The DWP, which is the state agency that enforces the implementation of FDA rules about bottled water in Maine, has issued these letters to us in the past,” a Nestle Waters spokesperson told ConsumerAffairs. “This most recent letter verifies that all eight of the spring water sources are approved in the State of Maine.”

The spokesperson added that Poland Spring labels are accurate when they declare that the product is “100 percent natural spring water.”

Accorrding to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, bottled water overtook carbonated beverages in U.S. sales last year. Michael Bellas, CEO of Beverage Marketing Corporation says that bottled water has effectively reshaped the beverage marketplace.

"When Perrier first entered the country in the 1970s, few would have predicted the heights to which bottled water would eventually climb,” Bellas said earlier this year.

He added that bottled water sales have increased every year from 1977 to 2016, with the exception of two years during the Great Recession.

Students eligible for federal college grants left $2.3 billion on the table this year, according to an analysis by personal finance site NerdWallet.

The analysis reveals that the money was available through Pell Grants, federal aid that is distributed based on financial need and does not have to be repaid. These were left unclaimed because students didn't fill out the reuqired Federal Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

In fact, NerdWallet found a staggering 1,234,249 high school graduates didn’t fill out their FAFSA for the 2017-2018 academic year, and an estimated 648,191 of them would have qualified for Pell Grants.

Qualifying students could have received an average of $3,583 to help pay tuition and fees, reducing the need for student loans.

Grant money might have made the difference

As we reported last week, a new survey by COUNTRY Financial asked recent high school graduates who had never attended college why they weren't applying. Nearly half -- 48 percent -- said the high cost of college was a factor in their decision. Nearly as many -- 47 percent -- said they were unwilling to go into student loan debt to pursue a college degree.

"Student loans have had an impact on the ability of Americans to complete their education," the authors wrote. "Of those who started but did not complete a post-secondary program, 59 percent said the cost of education factored into their inability to finish their education, and 53 percent said that taking on student debt was also a factor in their incomplete education."

The Nerdwallet researchers say this underscores the need for all college students to fill out the FAFSA, the key to unlocking federal and state aid dollars. You can get started on the process here.

Pell Grants

While there are different grant programs available, the Pell Grant is among the most widely used by those who are eligible. The amount of money applicants can receive changes on a yearly basis. Currently, the amount is capped at $5,920.

The amount applicants can qualify for will depend on financial need and the cost of attending a particular school. Recipients can receive Pell Grants for up to 12 semesters, meaning the money could be available throughout the process of receiving a bachelor's degree.

Nearly half of all 2017 high school graduates were eligible to receive a Pell Grant for college this fall. However, the Nerdwallet analysis shows 36 percent of last spring's high school graduates failed to submit the FAFSA.

The lesson for current high school seniors and their family is to file the FAFSA by the deadline, which is midnight Central Time, June 30, 2018. However, since aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, it is best to file as early as possible.

If your child has reading difficulties, the problem may not lie in their comprehension – it might be due to a hearing problem.

That’s the conclusion of a Coventry University study, which found that 25 percent of young participants who had reading difficulties also had mild to moderate hearing impairment. Report author Dr. Helen Breadmore says the finding indicates a greater need to screen young children for hearing problems.

"Many children in school may have an undetected mild hearing loss, which makes it harder for them to access the curriculum,” she said. "Current hearing screening procedures are not picking up these children, and we would advise that children have their hearing tested in more detail and more often.

Detrimenal to development

The study compared children with dyslexia to a group of children with a history of repeated ear infections to see if both groups had similar difficulties with reading comprehension.

The researchers asked nearly 200 participants to complete a series of tests to determine how they used word sounds and meanings in speech and literacy. After an 18-month period, all participants were tested again.

The test results showed that 25 percent of participants with dyslexia suffered from some kind of hearing impairment, with symptoms mild enough to be missed by parents. Literacy problems were slightly more common in children with hearing infections, affecting 33 percent of these participants.

Breadmore points out that these hearing problems can be detrimental in a classroom setting, and that it can negatively impact long-term development.

"A mild-moderate hearing loss will make the perception of speech sounds difficult, particularly in a classroom environment with background noise and other distractions. Therefore, children who have suffered repeated ear infections and associated hearing problems have fluctuating access to different speech sounds precisely at the age when this information is crucial in the early stages of learning to read,” she said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that there is no single treatment or intervention for childhood hearing loss. However, it says that some options may include working with a support group or medical professional, or buying a hearing aid.

A tax on health insurance policies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), suspended by Congress for 2017, is scheduled to resume next year, increasing the cost of millions of health care premiums.

A recent study by the financial services firm Oliver Wyman, commissioned by UnitedHealth Group, estimates the tax will increase health insurance premiums by 2.6 percent in 2018 and between 2.5 and 2.7 percent in subsequent years.

The tax on health insurance providers, which is largely passed along to policyholders, is used to help offset the costs associated with the ACA. Next year, when the tax resumes, the Oliver Wyman study estimates the tax will increase the premium for an individual in the non-group market by $158 and by $500 per family.

Medicare Advantage

The increase will be greater for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage, Medicare Managed Care, and Medicare Part D. The Better Medicare Alliance (BMA), an advocate for Medicare Advantage policyholders, estimates those enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D will bear 20 percent of the tax burden.

The group says 19 million Medicare beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage will see their premiums rise by $245 per year. After that, the group says the increase could grow to $300 by 2023. Over 10 years, it could result in $3,000 in higher premium payments.

The group has released a poll showing 85 percent of seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage are unaware their premiums are about to go up.

"This tax was suspended for 2017 by Congress because it was raising costs for seniors and people with disabilities - many living on low or fixed incomes," said Allyson Schwartz, CEO of BMA. "This survey shows that not only are seniors facing a major hit, even worse, the majority are grossly unaware without any opportunity to prepare or make their voice heard."

Schwartz says rising premiums would likely put Medicare Advantage policies out of reach for many older consumers.

Original Medicare covers 80 percent of healthcare services and many consumers purchase supplemental policies to cover the rest. But many purchase Medicare Advantage, which combines the two and often offers additional coverage Original Medicare does not.

Medicare Advantage popularity

BMA says Medicare Advantage plans are popular because they're affordable, simple, and provide supplemental benefits. The group says enrollees are also more likely to get preventive care and less likely to be admitted to a hospital.

According to Forbes, the healthcare tax amounts to a sales tax on health insurance policies. The tax seeks to raise a specific amount of money each year -- $14.3 billion in 2018 -- and divides the tax burden among health insurance companies based on their marketshare.

"In order to remain in business, as well as to satisfy state and federal actuarial requirements, insurers will essentially be required to pass most of this tax along to policyholders in the form of higher premiums, or possibly higher average out-of-pocket costs or reduced benefits," Forbes notes.

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and ten co-sponsors have introduced a bill to Congress that would postpone the tax for another year. Gardner said Congress needs more time to find ways to reduce health insurance costs.

More people are getting their video entertainment from Netflix and most will pay a little more for it.

The streaming service says the price of its standard tier will go up from $9.99 a month to $10.99, and the premium tier will go up from $11.99 to $13.99. The cost of the basic, standard definition video version of Netflix will remain at $7.99 a month.

Netflix confirmed the price move in an email to ConsumerAffairs, saying the new price structure is effective immediately for new customers but won't take effect for current U.S. customers until next month.

"From time to time, Netflix plans and pricing are adjusted as we add more exclusive TV shows and movies, introduce new product features, and improve the overall Netflix experience to help members find something great to watch even faster," a company spokesperson said.

Rate hike cheered on Wall Street

Wall Street is betting that the price increase will go over well with consumers, who have grown increasingly dependent on Netflix as they continue to "cut the cord" with cable TV. Netflix stock surged on the news Thursday, gaining 5.39 percent, a dime shy of its 52-week high.

Barton Crockett, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets, told CNBC that investors fully expected Netflix to boost rates this year, and the company's increase "is right on target."

"Everything we're seeing is that the consumer likes the service and these guys are going to continue to have very robust subscriber growth," Crockett said in an interview.

Another reason consumers may be a little more accepting of the price hike, says Crockett, is that the company doesn't change its prices all that frequently, while continuing to add content.

Formal notice coming later this month

Starting October 19, current Netflix subscribers will start receiving formal notification of the price increase at least 30 days in advance, based on their billing date.

"The price change will roll out to members over the course of the next several months," the company said in a statement. "As always, members can view pricing information within their account settings."

Netflix was established in 1998 as a way consumers could order DVD movies online, with the discs delivered by mail. A year later it adopted a subscription model, with subscribers able to order an unlimited number of movies each month for a single rate.

In 2007, with a dramatic increase in broadband penetration in the U.S., Netflix began its current video streaming service.

The North American continent offers every kind of spectacular natural landscape, and nature lovers find many ways to experience it – from motor homes to pitched tents.

Now, some adventurous travelers are setting their sights a little higher and opting to rent an actual treehouse for a night or a weekend.

You'll find these elevated tiny houses all over the country, some owned by individual landlords and some by companies that manage dozens of tree-top dwellings. Several can be booked through Airbnb.

Most treehouses are fairly rustic, modeled after traditional campground cabins. Others have some of the amenities you might find in a hotel, with a rate to match.

The Birdie Treehouse

The Birdie Treehouse in Maine is for travelers who enjoy a rustic, no-frills experience. There is no running water and no bedding, so you'll need to bring your own.

It also lacks electricity, although it does have a 12-volt lighting system, similar to the kind you'd find on a boat.

It sleeps four people, has a loft with two ottomans that fold out into single beds, and a full size futon on the main floor for additional sleeping space. Naturally, there is no bathroom in the treehouse but the property's description says there is an outhouse "close by."

Eagle’s Nest Treehouse

The Eagle's Nest Treehouse Farm Stay, located near San Francisco, is in the middle of old growth redwoods, providing a spectacuar natural setting. However, guests really don't have to rough it.

Located on a working ranch on the Sonoma coast, the Eagle's Nest is just an hour and a half drive from San Francisco and is close to some of California's most famous vineyards.

The treehouse, written up in a 1990s issue of House & Garden Magazine, features many creative design touches. You can check it out in the brief video tour below.

Recent renovations include two sets of French doors, sliding windows, and insulated walls. Amenities include a queen sized bed, propane heater, battery-powered electricity for lights and low wattage accessories.

The treehouse also has a separate bathroom with flush toilet, hot and cold water, sink, and a copper-lined shower with floor to ceiling windows looking out on the forest below. As an added perk, guests are free to roam the ranch grounds and can learn about sustainable organic farming practices.

Ojai Mountaintop Treehouse

As its name suggests, the Ojai Mountaintop Treehouse sits on 40 acres atop a mountain just 20 minutes from Ojai, California. It offers ocean and channel island views, access to adventurous hiking and biking trails, and at night, a starlit sky.

Despite its proximity to Ojai's boutique shops, restaurants, and wineries, the newly-built treehouse offers plenty of privacy as a secluded, peaceful getaway. Chances are, you won't see that many people while you're there.

The treehouse itself consists of one large, open room. There are no beds, but there's plenty of room for four adults with sleeping bags. There are tables and chairs, a porta potty, and a hammock.

Cooking is limited to a small propane stove. Because of the year-round dry conditions, no open flames are allowed.

The editors at InspiredCamping.com have tried to identify the reason for the boom treehouse camping. Their hypothesis is that travelers seem to find a connection to their childhood, and even those who don't much like earthbound camping seem to get a thrill from sleeping in the treetops.

If you're in the market for a used vehicle, you may want to hold off on purchasing in the near future.

The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, an industry measure of wholesale used car prices, shows the average price rose 2.77 percent in September from August. The index was a record high for the fifth consecutive month and was up 6.3 percent from a year ago.

Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox Automotive, said the sharp increase shouldn't be a surprise since Hurricane Harvey totaled nearly a half million vehicles in the Houston area in late August.

“While retail demand is strong, most of the pricing strength can be directly attributed to the recovery following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma," Smoke said in an email to ConsumerAffairs. "Both the replacement demand and reduction in available supply is causing widespread wholesale inventories to tighten, and we expect this to result in wholesale price gains for at least another month or two.”

Reversal from earlier expectations

Predictions earlier this year were much more optimistic. As we reported in March, used car prices dipped in February and a report from J.D. Power's Valuation Services division predicted softness in the months ahead, providing attractive deals for consumers.

The report noted that millions of three year-old vehicles were coming off lease and onto used car lots, significantly increasing the inventory. At the same time, the report suggested many consumers who would ordinarily buy a used car might be tempted by some of the attractive offers from new car dealers.

Chris Halmy, Ally’s chief financial officer, told Bloomberg News in March that he expected used car prices would continue to fall. They did for a while, but when hurricanes require replacement of 500,000 or more vehicles, demand will soak up any excess supply.

The result is consumers may have to pay more for their car of choice if they're considering a used vehicle. They might also consider settling for a different model or waiting a few months to buy, if possible.

The Manheim report suggests September's price surge could be temporary because it was caused by the impact of back-to-back natural disasters. The report predicts wholesale used car prices may go up some more over the next two months, but could come down again after that.

Researchers say there is a "powerful ripple effect" when children are allowed to have TV and video game systems in their bedroom.

A new study tracked elementary-age children over two years, ultimately finding that the kids who had TVs or gaming systems in their rooms (away from parents) were more likely to spend extensive amounts of time engaged with media and consume content they wouldn't in front of other people.

Additionally, bedroom media predicted poorer school performance, higher risk for obesity, greater likelihood of video game addiction, and greater aggressive behavior, the study found.

Lead author Douglas Gentile, a professor of psychology at Iowa State University, says the media itself isn’t what raises the risk for these consequences -- rather, it’s allowing a child to have these systems in their room.

Changing the content

For nearly two decades, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that children not have media in their bedroom. This study shows they were right, says Gentile.

Children who have bedroom media are more likely to overindulge, which can displace beneficial activities like reading and sleeping. They are also likely to be exposed to more violent media. 

“There are many potential benefits to children having access to the media. Certainly the one parents are most aware of is that it keeps the kids quiet and out of other trouble. But most of the other benefits (e.g., educational benefits, communication benefits, etc.) they could enjoy could be gotten just as easily in a public room,” Gentile told ConsumerAffairs.

“Once [media] moves into the child's bedroom, both the amount and content change (as can be seen in our study), and on average, not in a way that is good for the children's long-term health and wellness,” he said.

Worth the fight

Studies show more than 40 percent of children aged 4-6 have a TV in their bedroom, and a majority of children 8 and older have a TV or video game console in their bedroom.

While this study looked specifically at TVs and video game systems, the study authors expect the effects to be the same – if not stronger – now that children have access to digital devices like cell phones and iPads.

As a parent himself, Gentile knows how hard it can be to say ‘no’ to media in the bedroom. However, he argues that taking devices out of the bedroom is worth the short-term fight because it will be better for children in the long run.

If parents don't want to remove media from bedrooms, “they should work to establish good rules and boundaries about what, when, and how much. If children can’t abide by those rules, then the media should be removed,” Gentile says.

“The goal for most parents is to get children to self-regulate, and some kids are better at that than others,” he added.

The study has been published online in the journal Developmental Psychology.

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 420 model year 2017 Santa Fes equipped with 3.3L engines.

The crankshaft assemblies may have been produced with surface irregularities in the crankshaft pin, causing engine bearing wear.

The engine bearing wear may cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Hyundai will notify all owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the engine, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 18, 2017.

Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 168.

Yahoo’s massive 2013 data breach, affecting more than one billion of its user accounts, reappeared this week with significantly worse numbers. 

The company announced Tuesday that all 3 billion of its accounts were, in fact, affected at that time–leaving additional billions of user accounts vulnerable in the interim.

The revelation follows Yahoo’s acquisition by Verizon, which paid $4.8 billion for the struggling company in hopes of combining it with AOL to create a new entity named Oath. New intelligence prompted a forensic analysis which subsequently led to Tuesday's revision.

“While this is not a new security issue, Yahoo is sending email notifications to the additional affected user accounts. The investigation indicates that the user account information that was stolen did not include passwords in clear text, payment card data, or bank account information. The company is continuing to work closely with law enforcement,” the announcement said in a statement.

“Verizon is committed to the highest standards of accountability and transparency, and we proactively work to ensure the safety and security of our users and networks in an evolving landscape of online threats,” added Verizon Chief Information Security Officer Chandra McMahon. “Our investment in Yahoo is allowing that team to continue to take significant steps to enhance their security, as well as benefit from Verizon’s experience and resources.”

Protecting stolen information

In an FAQ section of its security update web page, Yahoo says that stolen information involved in the 2013 breach may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (using MD5), and (in some cases) encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.

To counter the breach, Yahoo required potentially affected users to change their passwords and invalidated unencrypted security questions and answers last December.

However, in light of the recent revision, the company says that all users should change their passwords and security questions, review their accounts for any suspicious activity, and use an abundance of caution when clicking or downloading unsolicited messages, links, or attachments. The company also advises using its Yahoo Account Key authentication tool.

Users are also free to switch to a different email service, but continuing to monitor accounts and personal information will still be just as necessary either way. 

Largest breach to date

The latest announcement multiplies what was already the largest data breach in history, and will almost certainly mean more litigation for both Yahoo and Verizon.

In late August, U.S. Judge Lucy Koh ruled that class actions over the breach would be allowed to move forward. While she dismissed some parts of one particular case, she said that Yahoo’s actions “alleged risk of future identity theft” and “loss of value of [users’] personal identification information.”

Koh also said that plaintiffs would be well within their rights to pursue breach of contract and unfair competition charges against Yahoo because they would have been able close their accounts if they had known about the data breach earlier.