White House Unveils New Guidelines to Streamline Customer Service and Ease Hassles
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The Biden Administration Takes Action to Combat “Corporate Tricks and Scams”
The Biden administration is taking sweeping actions to combat what it calls “corporate tricks and scams” that waste people’s time and money.
The White House’s “Time Is Money” Initiative
The White House announced Monday the roll out of its new “Time Is Money” initiative, which is a collection of regulatory rules across several federal agencies as well as a host of new industry guidelines that corporations can choose to implement.
A Crackdown on Wasteful Corporate Practices
“The administration is cracking down on all the ways that companies — through paperwork, hold times and general aggravation — waste people’s time and then really hold on to their money,” Neera Tanden, director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, told reporters during a press briefing.
Addressing Fake Review Scams and Other Forms of Corporate Misbehavior
One of the specific actions the administration is taking is addressing fake review scams. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is drafting a new rule that would make it easier to cancel subscriptions and prevent fake reviews from being posted on e-commerce sites like Amazon.
Streamlining the Health Insurance Claims Process
Time-consuming practices in the health insurance industry are also in the crosshairs of the “Time Is Money” initiative. To streamline the insurance claims and reimbursement process, the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services are calling on health insurance companies to allow patients to submit health claims online and to generally improve people’s experience with the health insurance industry.
A War on Junk Fees
As part of the Biden administration’s war on “junk fees,” the administration is working to eliminate shady pricing practices and hidden charges across just about all consumer-facing industries.
The Efforts Are Aimed at Cutting Red Tape and Reducing Hassle
The idea is to convince certain industries to make the improvements themselves without the need for official regulations or legislation, and the federal government has had some recent success taking this peer-pressure approach.
Acknowledging the Burden on Consumers
“Americans are tired of being played for suckers,” Tanden said.
