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

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.

SOURCE USAction

David Elliot of USAction, +1-202-607-7036