History in the House: Quality, Affordable Health Care for America Is One Step Closer

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USAction this evening hailed passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will make health care more affordable for consumers, hold insurance companies accountable and increase access to health care for millions of Americans through a public option.

"Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Harry Truman would be proud," said USAction Program Director Alan Charney. "Today's vote ranks among our country's proudest achievements. Today we are one step closer to having more affordable health coverage with good, comprehensive benefits and true choice and competition in the health insurance marketplace."

Charney said the struggle leading up to today's vote squarely pitted consumers against big insurance companies. "Insurance companies are powerful and contribute millions of dollars," Charney said. "But insurance companies don't get sick or get dropped from coverage or see their premiums double. Real people do. And today, the people prevailed."

Charney said the House bill, in particular, makes health care much more affordable, ends egregious insurance industry abuse, and injects real choice and competition with the inclusion of a national public health insurance option. And it draws revenue from fair financing as opposed to taxation of middle-income Americans' health care plans. Finally, it includes shared responsibility between individuals, employers and government.

USAction co-founded Health Care for America Now, the nation's largest health care reform campaign, and co-chairs its steering committee. Since May, USAction and its affiliates and partners in 28 states organized or supported more 363 town hall meetings and forums on health care and generated 389,028 grassroots contacts to Congress, including phone calls, letters, faxes, emails and petitions.