Trick or Treatment

Here are some facts and statements for you to choose from in writing your letter:

• Healthcare reform is urgent. We need action now. Costs are soaring, but we receive less care. Even families with insurance are facing bankruptcy because of medical costs.

• A public insurance plan option is the best way to lower costs; it would ensure real competition, keep private companies honest and guarantee that everyone can get health coverage.

• Employers should be asked to pay their fair share by providing insurance for their employees; employers who don’t offer insurance should pay a fee.

• Working people should not be forced to pay more for the insurance they already have in the form of increased taxes on their health benefits.

• We must establish safe-staffing standards in healthcare facilities that will improve patient safety, reduce medical errors and prevent healthcare workers from leaving the profession.
  

• Protect older Americans by extending Medicare coverage, strengthening recipients' freedom to choose their doctor and ending overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans; prohibiting insurance companies from dropping or denying coverage to those under 65 based on pre-existing conditions and from placing annual or lifetime caps on their coverage.