ACSH Briefs: What You Missed Over The Weekend

Related articles

Rate Increases By State Under Affordable Care Act For 2016 Revealed

aca costsWhile poor people in a few states will see declines in their health insurance cost under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") this year, most will see double-digit increases, according to new data from ratereview.healthcare.gov and state insurance departments.

Minnesota, Alaska, Tennessee, and Hawaii will see individual market exchange rates rise by at least 30 percent, while 17 have increases of 20 percent or more.

If you want to see data for your state, this site saves you the headache of going through government sites to see the premium costs.

American Council on Science and Health President Hank Campbell on the Food Chain Radio Show

Food Chain RadioAmerican Council on Science and Health President Hank Campbell was on the airwaves Saturday with host Mike Olson and an organic trade rep to talk about labeling GMOs. Most fun was when the organic trade rep sputtered at the notion that there should be complete transparency on food labels - like pesticides used.

The trade rep protested that, saying their certification already covered it. Yes, the group getting paid by companies to 'certify' their status is using that certification to exempt its clients from transparency about its process. But insisted their competitors need to have a giant warning label about that part of the growing process.

You can listen to the archived version of the program here.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Got A Huge Overhaul

darrell issa Credit: Darrell Issa

Sponsored by Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the updated FOIA legislation passed by the House makes it easier for the public to obtain government records.

It contains over 54 co-sponsors in the House with a near 50/50 split of Republicans and Democrats and promotes transparency and accountability by creating a single FOIA request portal for agencies limiting the time that certain documents are exempt from disclosure and requiring more information to be publicly available online.