RipOffReport.com - File and document complaints about companies or individuals
Ed.gov - U.S. Department of Education
Clarkhoward.com - Clark's guide to the new student loan laws
Clarkhoward.com - Clark's guide to EFTs

The airline industry repeatedly ranks as one of the least respected in commerce. The airlines have had a tough adolescence following deregulation. They're trying to figure out what you should get for the price of your ticket. You may have heard that United Airlines is testing the waters with a $25 fee for checking more than one bag. This is part of the process of unbundling what you get when you buy a ticket. The actual product airlines offer is the kerosene to fly you from point A to point B and some semblance of a seat. Remember the old skit about Straphangers' Airline? It was a standing-room only airline where you just got a strap to hang on to like in the subway. Thankfully, nobody is proposing that yet!

Clark thinks people shouldn't be fired up at United. The cost of hiring baggage handlers is a true cost, not to mention the hassle and trust that's lost whenever a bag goes missing. From a bottom line perspective, the airline's bean counters would love it if no one could check a bag. Of course, United's flight attendants would hate having to deal with all those carry-on bags in the cabin. So you should become familiar with UPS and FedEx if there's a lot you have to take when you fly. Try shipping your stuff instead of paying the baggage charges. It's more likely to get there! Isn't it funny that the sophisticated airlines don't have the simple package-tracking capabilities that UPS and FedEx have had for years?

The United move shows that more a la carte fees are coming in the airline industry. Clark recently had to pay $1.50 for a soft drink while flying in the Hawaiian Islands. The full-fare airlines just have to be careful not to get too fee happy. The only justification for flying a full-fare was that you got full service; now that's changing and it seems like you're just paying more money than going through a discount airline.

The teller window on student loans is being closed slowly but surely. Lenders are worried that they can't sell off the loans because of the slowing economy. They also have data telling them which schools have the highest default rates. It goes without saying that they won't make loans at some schools based on that information! The upside here is that it's getting easier to get rid of existing student loans. Clark's advice is to wait until after July 1 and refinance your federal student loan when the rates reset. The best guess is that rates for federal loans subject to consolidation will be between 4-5 percent. Compare that to consolidating now; when you'd get a rate that's more than 8 percent. So keep paying at your variable rate and lock it in low over the summer. Meanwhile, a new law guarantees full loan forgiveness for those who go into public service and make 10 years of on-time payments. There's more information available at the U.S. Department of Education's website or in Clark's own guide to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

Clark's life is usually quite busy, but there's been a little more going on than usual during the past couple days. Earlier this week, he spoke about closing on an REO foreclosure. In the midst of everything, his family's dog died. Clark's wife and his middle child have been very upset by the death of Costco Wholesale. QT, the family's other dog, is still doing well despite being nearly blind. Meanwhile, Clark's wife was in a car wreck a week ago. The other party's insurer has been stalling, and their car is at the body shop just sitting and waiting for authorization. Finally, his wife said, "You're America's consumer champion. You always give advice to others about consumer problems. What's your advice for yourself, Clark Howard?"

That set Clark on a path that's been educational (but not necessarily fun) as he's learned to deal with the other person's insurance company. One possible solution is to subrogate, which means Clark will go to his own insurer, pay the deductible and let the two insurance companies fight it out. Another possibility is to go the litigious route. The woman who hit Clark's wife has proven delightful, so they're trying to avoid having it come to that. But insurance channels are notoriously difficult to navigate; even if your insurer is good, you still have to deal with the other person's insurer. When Clark checked Consumer Reports' rankings of the best and worst insurers, he found the other person's insurer about halfway down the list. So Clark has consumer problems just like anybody else. He'll update you on what happens if he has to go to court.

Clark has been a longtime advocate of nurse-in-a-box practices, but they're not doing well financially. Several have actually had to close their doors. The idea is still being germinated and needs time to be perfected. Walgreen's and CVS don't care if these in-store practices are lucrative or not; they just like that people are more likely to fill prescriptions inside their stores when there's a nurse practitioner present. Now Wal-Mart is starting a new initiative that has doctors upset because they're aligning with medical centers around the country for new nurse-in-a-box practices. The Wal-Mart facilities will refer patients out to the medical centers if someone is too ill to be seen in-store. Wal-Mart is also partnering with one urgent care chain owned by AOL's Steve Case in a couple hundred markets.

The nurse-in-a-box trend provides an advantage to the American people that's not being discussed: More than half of the clients are uninsured. That means your neighborhood nurse-in-a-box helps de-clutter the emergency room at your local hospital, allowing people with real medical emergencies to be seen faster. This pressure valve release is all to the good, according to Clark. He knows doctors will be alarmist about somebody dying at a nurse-in-a-box. But medicine involves educated hunches -- it is part art, part science. It's just as ridiculous to expect perfection from doctors as it is to expect it from a nurse practitioner. One out of every 6 dollars goes to medical care in our economy. That's by far the highest in the world. Nurse-in-a-boxes will not be the solution to what ails healthcare, but they will relieve some of the pressure on the system.