AARP is now endorsing the version of the health care reform bill that's scheduled to come up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday.

West Virginia State Director Gaylene Miller says the endorsement comes after reviewing the different versions of the bill being considered on Capitol Hill.

"We know that this bill is going to provide us the best leverage going into the committee negotiations, the conference committee.  The process still has a ways to go but, by far and away, the House bill addresses the priorities that AARP has set forth," Miller said on Thursday's MetroNews Talkline.

The bill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced would extend health care coverage to millions of people who do not have it, create a government run health care option to compete with private insurers and impose new limits on the insurance industry.

It'll take several years to phase in the reforms within the proposal which could cost $900 billion over ten years.  It would be paid for by cutting Medicare spending and by imposing an income tax surcharge of 5.4% on those who make at least $500,000 a year.

The endorsement from AARP is seen as a way to blunt criticisms of those Medicare cuts.

"We heard a lot from our members about the need to protect and strengthen Medicare, but we also heard from our members about providing affordable health care coverage for people between the ages of 50 and 64.  Really, our members have said, 'It's important to do health care reform and it's important to do it now,'" Miller said.

"Our hope is that we will make investments in the system over the next ten years that will provide a quality and affordable health care system for our residents."

Speaker Pelosi is still working to secure the 218 votes needed for approval of the bill in the U.S. House.

Both First District Congressman Alan Mollohan and Third District Congressman Nick Rahall have indicated they've vote for the bill.  Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito says she will vote against the bill.

The American Medical Association and the AFL-CIO have also endorsed the House plan.