With millions of Americans desperate for affordable, quality health care, Consumers Union has chosen to endorse H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. This bill would greatly expand coverage of the uninsured and provide new protections for the insured. "Health care is a consumer crisis with its crippling costs, its unreliability, and lack of access for too many Americans," said Jim Guest, president of Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. "By creating a more secure, affordable health care system, the House bill goes a long way towards solving the crisis."

Consumers Union has advocated for health reform since the organization was founded in 1936, and last month our advocates ran their first-ever ad pressing for better health care for all consumers. In addition, CU believes the health reform bill would:

• prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing medical conditions
• create a one-stop "exchange" where all insurers present their information in the same format, so you can easily compare the price and quality of different insurance plans
• allow small companies to easily offer their employees coverage through the exchange
• allow Medicare to negotiate with the drug companies to get lower prices for prescription drugs
• provide good insurance options if you lose your job, change employers, start your own business, go back to school or develop a medical condition