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The top 10 consumer stories to watch for in 2004: trends and issue to keep track of.

Article Excerpt
The start of a new year always seems to provoke a peculiar sort of perspective-taking activity: the ranking and listing of various things pertaining either to the old year leaving or the new year coming. The editors of CR plead guilty to giving in to the impulse and herewith offer a list of the top stories to which consumers should pay attention in the year 2004:

1. Health Savings Accounts

Consumers should be excited about the new health savings account (HSA) provision in last year's prescription drug law. HSAs are far simpler to obtain and operate than their predecessors, medical savings accounts, and provide consumers with greater freedom over their medical expenses. To qualify for an HSA, a person must be under age 65 and covered only by a high-deductible health insurance policy, one with annual out-of-pocket costs of at least $1,000 for an individual or $2,000 for a family. The government expects about 40 million Americans to be eligible for HSAs right away.

But perhaps consumers should be most excited about the tax-free nature of HSAs. Contributions to the account are tax-deductible, interest earned within each account is tax-free, and withdrawals are not taxed if they are used to pay for qualified medical expenses. Even better, account funds not used in one year can roll over to the next to help pay for future expenses and they also can be carried from job to job and into retirement.

Although, it is too early to tell how effective HSAs will be for consumers, one thing is sure: Very soon health insurance companies will start competing to offer plans for both individuals and families. This should provide consumers will more options in managing their health care.

2. Regulation of Junk Food

In 2003, obesity-related topics dominated headlines in several forms. From consumer lawsuits to obesity studies, from the Atkins diet to the deadly health effects of trans-fatty acids, America has grown obsessed over solutions to rising obesity and 2004 promises no end to the debate. Once derided as simply a boon for trial lawyers and cash-strapped governments, anti-obesity lawsuits, regulation, and taxes are now a topic of major concern for consumers. A good example of this shift is what was said at an American Public Health Association conference in December. Margo Wooten, a director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told the crowd that in order to fight obesity in America "[w]e have got to move beyond personal responsibility." The obesity fight, real or imagined, has quickly gained the mantle of government responsibility.

So-called "sin taxes" are nothing new, however. Taxes on alcohol and cigarettes have been around for decades as a way promoting healthier lifestyles while raising state revenues. So far, courts have dismissed many of the lawsuits--most notably, the case of a New York man suing McDonald's for making him fat--and the...

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