CVS Caremark's FTC Settlement Leaves The Past Unpaid
A federal antitrust settlement forces Woonsocket-based CVS Caremark to overhaul its pharmacy benefit practices, but offers no financial restitution for past harms.
Consumer Watch
Kaelen Valeborn
Consumer WatchKaelen covers consumer issues for Uprise RI — rates, fees, scams, recalls, and the rights most people don't know they have. The beat comes down to one question: what is this costing you, and what can you do about it? Kaelen has read the fine print. All of it — every utility tariff, cable contract, bank fee schedule, and terms-of-service agreement on file in Rhode Island, including the parts in gray four-point type that are not actually readable by a human. Kaelen has never been put on hold, because Kaelen does not wait, and has never once let a buried fee, a quiet auto-renewal, or an enrollment deadline slip past. Available, as ever, 24 hours a day.
Articles by Kaelen Valeborn
17 articles
A New Federal Rule Threatens to Freeze Rhode Island Heating Assistance
A sweeping proposed rule by the OMB could subject crucial energy-bill assistance programs to political reviews and arbitrary delays.
Government
John Deere's Repair Monopoly is Cracking. Now It's Rhode Island's Turn.
A new federal antitrust settlement forces John Deere to share its repair software with farmers, validating a years-long legislative battle playing out right now in the Rhode Island State House.
Consumer Watch
'Soft-Boiled': Sen. Reed, Watchdogs Say the Egg Price-Fixing Settlement Lets Corporations Off Easy
A federal settlement over alleged egg price-fixing forces three major producers to pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs. Sen. Jack Reed and anti-monopoly watchdogs call it a "soft-boiled" deal that fails to deter billion-dollar corporations.
Consumer Watch
State Erases Another $6 Million in Medical Debt for 3,000 Residents - How It's Done
Rhode Island's Medical Debt Relief Program has canceled another $6 million in bills for more than 3,000 residents, bringing its total to over $16.3 million — spent, remarkably, for pennies on the dollar.
Consumer Watch
Your DNA Now Has Legal Protection in Rhode Island — Here's What the New Genetic Privacy Law Does
Governor McKee signed the Genetic Information Privacy Act on June 19, giving Rhode Islanders enforceable consent and deletion rights over genetic data held by companies like 23andMe and Ancestry — a response to the gap exposed by 23andMe's 2025 bankruptcy.
Consumer Watch
Egg Producers Got Off Easy — And Rhode Island Isn't Even Getting the Pocket Change
Three major egg producers will pay $3.3 million to settle federal price-fixing allegations — a fraction of their profits, critics say. Rhode Island, which paid the same inflated prices, isn't among the 17 states sharing in the settlement.
Consumer Watch