Dear ATU Activist,

Last night, President Obama laid out in clear and certain terms how and why we need health care reform. The president is right. The status quo is unacceptable and our health care system desperately needs reform.

A key component of reform is a quality public health insurance option because it will help hold down costs and provide real competition for insurance companies. But the public option is at risk because insurance companies are spending millions on lobbyists to stop it. It’s time for members of Congress to side with us instead of health insurance lobbyists and support a public option.

Tens of thousands of you have already made calls, written letters and attended town hall meetings on health care reform, but we need you to call your senators again today. Opponents of reform aren’t slowing down and we can’t afford to slow down either.

Ask your senators to join us and support a public insurance option to reform our health care system. Call Today:  (202) 224-3121

Tell your senators that health care reform can’t wait. Here are some specific talking points to keep in mind.

I want health care reform that:

• Requires insurers to compete with a quality public health insurance option to keep them honest and hold down costs.
• Requires companies to pay their fair share toward health care costs.
• Does not impose fees on health coverage that will penalize the very people who are already struggling with out-of-control costs.
• Puts people and their doctors in charge of their own health care.
• Ends insurance company abuses.

Thank you for everything you do and as we continue our fight for real reform, keep these words in mind from President Obama.

Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care.

Working together, we truly can provide stability and security to those who have insurance, and affordable coverage to those who don’t.

In Solidarity,

Warren S. George

ATU International President

P.S. Call your Senators today. Report what they had to say on the AFL-CIO blog.