TEXAS AFT LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE--MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2009 (copyright 2009 Texas AFT)   National Call-In Day for Real Health-Care Reform--Coming Up Wednesday   A critical moment has arrived in the national debate over health-care reform. Some bad ideas have gained a foothold in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. We need to oppose these notions--which include taxing your health-care benefits--and support a health-care bill that assures access to affordable, high-quality health care for all.   Our national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, is making it easy for us to have our say with a national call-in day. On Wednesday, October 7, along with fellow union members from across the country, AFT members will be urging senators to provide affordable, high-quality health coverage for the uninsured and to protect the benefits of those who already are insured.   Your two U.S. senators from Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, need to hear from you urgently. Cornyn sits on the Senate Finance Committee, which may well vote to send its version of a health-care overhaul to the full Senate later this week. Hutchison, who aspires to be the next governor of Texas, has a chance while she remains a U.S. senator to show that she cares about what you think on this vital issue.   Both Cornyn and Hutchison need to receive a flood of phone calls from AFT e-activists and fellow union members with this message:   --Don't tax our hard-won health benefits. --Make coverage affordable for all. --Give insurance companies some healthy competition, by creating a national public health-insurance plan option. --Prevent employers from dropping coverage. --Don't shift new Medicaid costs onto the states.   Besides participating in the national call-in day on Wednesday, you also can send a letter (http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/SenHealthcare100109) to your senators now.   One more thing: While you can count on us for reminders when there's a call to action from AFT, you also can make sure you receive AFT's e-activist alerts directly. Just sign up for the AFT e-Activist Network at http://www.aft.org/e-activist.