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“Today, the House voted overwhelmingly to send a strong and clear message to credit card companies: we will hold you accountable for your anti-consumer practices."

In honor of the upcoming Veterans Day, this week the House passed several bills that put our veterans, troops, and their families first. The Veterans Small Business Assistance and Servicemembers Protection Act strengthens VA outreach efforts to veterans to ensure that they get their earned VA benefits."

Despite writing in June that "quality health coverage must exist for every American, regardless of pre-existing health conditions," Republican Leader John Boehner introduced a substitute amendment yesterday that according to the Associated Press will not protect consumers with pre-existing conditions:

You can learn more about the differences between HR 3200 and the recently introduced Affordable Health Care for America Act by reading our side-by-side chart and topline changes document, but below are the top ten changes to the health insurance reform legislation to reduce health care costs, protect and increase consumers' choices, and guarantee access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans:

REDUCES THE DEFICIT MORE

Health insurance reform opponents continue to spread myths - now about the recently introduced Affordable Health Care for America Act, including saying that health insurance reform will undermine the health care that veterans and military families have now. But the facts continue to knock these myths down.

MYTH: "Enactment of the House health insurance reform bill would undermine the health care that veterans and military families are receiving now."

FACT: Veterans' health care and TRICARE (for military families) would not be impacted by passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Nothing in the bill would affect, change, or undermine the health care that veterans enrolled in VA health care and military families enrolled in TRICARE are currently receiving.

Tonight, we have filed a manager's amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which is the next critical step toward comprehensive health insurance reform that ensures affordability for the middle class, provides security for our seniors, and protects our children's future by not adding to our deficit. Our bill covers 96 percent of Americans, makes coverage more affordable for all, and creates new consumer protections that will end discrimination by insurance companies against the sick and cap what Americans pay out-of-pocket.

Building on the legislation House Democrats introduced last week, this manager's amendment includes these key improvements to the bill: