Congress is considering comprehensive health care reform and the time to obtain universal coverage, lower costs and improve quality is now.  Let's encourage our lawmakers to enact meaningful reform now!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As Congress considers a major health care reform measure, I am writing to ask for your support for meaningful legislation that makes health care universally available, improves quality and reduces the costs of the system.

I support a bill that contains at least these ingredients:

--A public health insurance plan that guarantees affordable health care for all. This will inject competition into the marketplace and assure quality care for those who cannot currently afford it. I consider a public component to be the essential dividing line between a truly innovative health care plan and more of the same.

--Employers must continue to pay their fair share. Companies that offer decent health care plans should not be placed at a disadvantage against companies that offer nothing to their employees. The "free riders" who won't offer health care plans should pay into a fund to finance coverage for uninsured workers. If this situation is not rectified now, the most responsible employers who support the health of their employees will suffer dramatically and, in some cases, go out of business.

--Affordable coverage for pre-Medicare retirees.

--No taxation of health care benefits. I believe such a tax would penalize small firms, firms with older workers and family plans that cover children. While all Americans will undoubtedly share in the cost of a better health care system, a tax on benefits would in my view skew the sharing of costs unfairly.

The health care reform proposal is still in the early stages of the legislative process, but I urge you to endorse the principles behind the legislation now. We will not have success with incremental improvements. The stage is set for full-scale historic reform.

Please support comprehensive health care reform now.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 26, 2009