It all comes down to this

Dear AFSCME Retiree,

The House of Representatives will finally vote on health care reform legislation this weekend. It's a truly historic and defining moment for the United States. Will we meet one of the most important challenges of our time? With your help, yes we will.

You can help us cross the finish line by calling your U.S. Representative TODAY. This vote will start fixing our broken health care system -- one that currently allows insurance companies to deny care for pre-existing conditions, raises premiums through the roof, leaves 47 million Americans uninsured and drags our entire economy down.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) represents real reform that we've been fighting for:

H.R.3962 creates a public-plan option for people who buy their own insurance. They will be able to choose the public plan or a private insurance plan, whichever they prefer. This will provide real choice and competition in a currently non-competitive insurance market, leading to lower costs and better quality.
The bill requires employers to provide insurance coverage to their workers OR pay into a fund that will provide coverage -- REAL employer responsibility!
The bill includes numerous Medicare improvements. For example, it phases out the Part D doughnut hole for prescription drugs, requires drug makers to offer 50% discounts to seniors with high drug costs, and allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices directly with the drug companies. It also provides free prevention benefits to Medicare beneficiaries, including cancer screenings. These are just a few of the new benefits for older Americans.
H.R. 3962 pays for reform in the right way -- by asking the wealthiest Americans (families with incomes over $1 million) to pay their fair share, rather than taxing the employer-sponsored health care benefits of workers and retirees.

You can bet that Members of Congress will hear from insurance company lobbyists today, so it's critical that your Representative also hears from YOU! Your voice will remind your Representative that lots of Americans support real health care reform.

Call your U.S. Representative TODAY by dialing AFSCME's toll-free number: 1-888-460-0813. This number connects you to the U.S. Capitol switchboard. Ask for your Representative by name. When you're connected to the office, leave the following message, along with your name and address.

“I’m a retiree who wants every American to have affordable health care, so I’m urging you to vote YES on H.R. 3962. The bill includes a public-plan option; requires employer responsibility; improves and strengthens Medicare; and will NOT tax the health benefits of workers and retirees. Thank you.”