Affordable health insurance is something that many Americans are finding harder and harder to obtain as the cost of basic health care services increases and they find their dollars not stretching quite as far. Consumers are also at the mercy of insurance corporations in many respects, many of which have a track record for dropping or reducing coverage at a moment's notice, and that make it difficult to hang on to a great policy for long. While a number of laws exist to help make sure that consumers can find a health policy that gives them the coverage they need along with the security of knowing that they will not be unfairly discriminated against, new legislation being tabled in by the federal government aims to make those protections even more powerful.

Currently, there are a number of ways that consumers are protected, starting with insurance commissions that exist in most states. These commissions help to regulate the cost of insurance in a state, and any company that wants to sell insurance in the state must conform to the rules that are laid down by the commission or face fines and penalties. These commissions also act as arbitration boards for claims that cannot be settled through a normal process, but are completely unbiased - they are not consumer advocate groups, nor are they paid by insurance companies.

The new health care reform being touted by the federal government hopes to provide greater consumer protection in a number of areas, starting with preventing companies from discriminating against patients based on preexisting conditions. This will mean that no matter the condition a patient has when applying to an insurance company for coverage, the application cannot be denied. In addition, companies will help maintain access to affordable health insurance as they will be required to limit the amount of money they can charge for out of pocket expenses and co-pays in a given year. The new law also aims to eliminate any limit on annual or lifetime coverage, as well as preventing companies from dropping those who are seriously ill or reducing their coverage. Overall, the bill aims to not only create more affordable health care in general, but also ensure that those who are already covered by companies or looking for a new health policy will be protected from exorbitant rates and free from the fear of being suddenly dropped.

Affordable health insurance is no longer as impossible a dream as it once was, thanks to better protection from consumer laws currently in effect, and the intentions of the government to require companies to be more reasonable in both how they handle customers and how much they charge per year for coverage.