Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that takes major steps toward fixing our health care system for Texas and all Americans.

The bill, called the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act, is a package of improvements to a health care system nearly everyone agrees could use some changes.

The CHAMP Act makes some long-overdue improvements to the Medicare program. The bill expands coverage and eliminates fees for preventive health care, such as prostate and colorectal cancer screening tests. If we can encourage more cost-effective preventive health care, we can begin to tackle the high costs of covering those who need “sick care.”

Equally as important as keeping people healthy is making sure those who need to see a doctor can. Importantly, the legislation ensures people in Medicare will continue to have access to their doctors. It prevents a significant cut in Medicare physician reimbursements which would have jeopardized the number of Medicare doctors who remain in the program.

Perhaps best of all, this will not be financed on the backs of people in Medicare with premium increases as it has been in the past. Doctors stay in the program and the people who rely on them can afford to keep seeing their doctors. It’s good for Medicare and good for people in Medicare.

These changes are paid for largely by reducing excess payments to health insurance companies that offer private plans in Medicare. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, Medicare pays private insurers an extra $100 per month per person than traditional Medicare. People in traditional Medicare subsidize these extra payments to insurance companies through higher premiums. By reducing these excess payments we can afford improvements for everyone in Medicare.

No less important, with these changes and an increase in the tobacco tax, we can provide more uninsured kids with the health care they need. We can reauthorize and strengthen the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) – a smart and affordable way to reduce the number of uninsured people in this country, starting with our most vulnerable kids. And paying for children’s health coverage with a tobacco tax will help improve the health of the entire country by reducing smoking at all ages.

AARP was proud to see strong support for CHAMP from Texas’ House delegation, including Henry Cuellar, Charles A. Gonzalez and Ciro Rodriguez. We applaud these lawmakers for choosing kids and older Americans, rather than bending to the insurance and tobacco lobbies.

They have taken a strong step toward a better health care system, and we will continue to push Congress to put a final bill on the president’s desk.

We thank all those who voted for CHAMP on behalf of the older Americans we represent, and we thank them on behalf of their children and grandchildren who have a better chance to grow up and be healthier adults.

Jennie Chin Hansen is president-elect of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).