Have you heard? Check this out: you won rights.

When my wife and I redid our kitchen, we met with the contractor to go over a "punch list"--work the builders still had to finish. Well, here at Consumers Union and CONSUMER REPORTS, we have another kind of punch list--work that still needs to be finished by lawmakers. Our conclusion: Consumer issues got too little attention last year, but there were a few accomplishments.

What's the score? Your credit score--numbers assigned to you by credit bureaus based on your credit history--is used by everyone from department stores to insurers to decide whether to do business with you and how much they'll charge. So it's important that your credit record is correct. That record has been yours for the asking, but usually at a price. Since December, consumers in the West can get a free copy once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus. That right extends to consumers in the Midwest in March, the South in June, and the Northeast in September. Go to www.flc.gov for details. (You still must pay for the credit score itself.)

How are you feeling? The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, which brought us free credit reports, is now bringing us free access to our own "health report." MIB, an association of insurance companies, tracks medical records, coding some 230 conditions that may affect your insurance. When you apply for life, health, disability, or long-term-care insurance, you may be asked to sign a form giving the insurer permission to check your records. Until now, you had to pay MIB to see its report on you. Now you're entitled to one free report each year. If you're ...