The road to better health care

Many Americans get too little health care; others get the wrong kind. We're paying for tests that aren't medically justified, surgery that's unneeded, and medical errors that are costly and sometimes deadly. You've told us much the same thing in letters and in e-mail messages. Now we'd like you to tell us in person.

You don't have to travel; we'll come to you. Throughout the summer, Consumers Union staff members will be crossing the country recording stories from consumers like you. Our goal is to chronicle tales that are so compelling that Congress is spurred to change the health-care system. Along the way, we hope to find several dozen affected consumers who will go with us in coming months to Washington, D.C. You can join us virtually by going to www.CoverAmericaTour.org to read our blogs, hear from some of the people we're meeting, and tell us your own experiences.

In this issue, we focus on a particularly worrisome form of medical financing in which doctors and dentists peddle medical credit cards to patients (see CR investigates medical debt). Already onerous medical costs are made more so by the high interest rates and fees of those cards. We also discuss the pitfalls to avoid when caring for a loved one with a serious medical condition (see Aggressive medical care).

Ratings figure into our coverage of health care much as they do in our evaluations of products. We already offer free information on the best and most cost-effective drugs in some 20 categories through the Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs program, at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org. Those findings can save consumers hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. We're also working with Dartmouth Medical School experts to evaluate the best way to rate hospitals across the country.

The Consumer Reports National Research Center has surveyed thousands of consumers over the past year about health care. Forty-three percent of those with insurance said they were "somewhat" or "completely" unprepared to cope with a costly medical emergency in the coming year.

Political candidates are talking about health care with increasing frequency. As they do, CU's surveys, Ratings, reporting, and Cover America Tour are designed to ensure that interests of consumers top all others.