Washington State Labor Council
We need Health Care Reform NOW!

Today -- TUESDAY, JULY 28 -- is the day to act! 

EVEN IF YOU HAVE CALLED OR E-MAILED ALREADY in support of this issue, we need everyone to take a few minutes to do so again today. We're asking everyone to do two easy things to make your voices heard:

1.  Call 1-877-264-4226 (this toll-free number will work only on Tuesday, July 28); 
-- Press 1 to be connected to your Representative; 
-- Enter your 10-digit phone number;
-- Leave a message. You may get a live person or a voice mail.  Tell them: 

"This is ___(YOUR NAME)___ and I am a union member from ___(YOUR ADDRESS)___.  WE NEED HEALTH REFORM NOW!  My family and I are counting on the Senator (or Representative) to take action!"

2.  Click on the "Send This Message" button to send an e-mail with a similar message to Congress.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: We need Health Care Reform NOW!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I'm writing because America needs health care reform NOW and I'm urging you to take action instead of delaying.

I urge you to support HR 3200, the "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," the tri-committee health care reform bill now before the U.S. House of Representatives, and to oppose efforts to weaken it through amendments.

I'm sending a copy of this message to U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to urge them to take action on similar legislation in the Senate.

This legislation has a high-quality, robust public health insurance plan that provides real choices and real competition for private insurance from day one. It calls on corporations to pay their fair share. Like the president's proposal, it calls on those who can afford it to contribute to funding health coverage expansion through a modest tax surcharge. It does not ask the American people to pay more for what they already have.

I urge you to actively support this health reform legislation and to oppose efforts to delay -- and weaken -- it.

Health care can't wait! We need reform NOW!

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
July 26, 2009


Background Information

The results of the online 2009 Health Care for America Survey, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America, reveal deep problems that must be fixed. Among the survey's findings:

  • High and rising health care and insurance costs are keeping people from getting needed health care. More than half say they cannot get the health care they need at a price they can afford, and the problem is even more acute among people who buy their own insurance, Hispanics and young adults.

 

 

  • A third of all respondents forgo basic medical care because of costs. More than one-quarter of people with insurance—and three-quarters of those without insurance—report skipping basic health care services such as doctor-recommended tests and treatments and visiting a doctor when sick.
  • Having health insurance does not shelter families from high costs or difficulty getting care. Fully 43% of people with insurance say they are not able to get the care they need at a price they can afford. And 80% of those with insurance say their health care costs increased this past year, with 34% saying they increased a lot.
  • As the economy has worsened, health care has been lost along with jobs. Nearly a quarter of respondents say someone in their household lost health care coverage in the past year because of losing or changing jobs.
  • Once health care disappears, it's hard to get back. One-quarter of those without health insurance say they were denied coverage in the past year due to "pre-existing conditions."
  • Health care is costlier and harder to access for people who cannot get employer-provided coverage or Medicare and buy insurance in the private market. Sixty-two percent of them say they cannot get the care they need at an affordable price, compared with 39% of people with employer-provided coverage.
  • The uninsured are in a dire situation, with 96% saying they cannot get the care they need at an affordable cost.
  • Ninety-seven percent of people who took the survey, including 96% of those with insurance, say that given the current economic crisis, health care reform is urgent.

The House health care reform bill, HR 3200, will address all these concerns. Click here to learn more about it.