Sunday, June 21, 2009

Healthcare Wanted (part 3)

Monday is the day comittees are marking up proposals. Action we can take tomorrow (Monday):

CALL Senator Dodd at (202) 224-2823 and ask him to put in OPTION A, which is the strong, robust Medicare-like public option, NOT OPTION B, which is the Conrad co-op proposal, in the markup on Monday.
EMAIL the Senate HELP Committee at help_comments@help.senate.gov to ask them to put in OPTION A, which is the strong, robust Medicare-like public option, NOT OPTION B, which is the Conrad co-op proposal, in the markup on Monday.

CALL the phone numbers of ALL the Senators on the HELP Committee with these talking points below:

Tell Senator [Name] that we DO NOT want the 7-year trigger for the public option and take it off the table, and that we want him to support an affordable strong, robust Medicare-like public option. We NEED a strong, robust Medicare-like public option NOW OPEN TO ALL AMERICANS AND AFFORDABLE, not more of the SAME broken system that's given us unaffordable premiums, little private insurance coverage, and rising co-pays. Also, DON'T TAX OUR EMPLOYER HEALTH BENEFITS. Instead, follow the proposal by President Obama to tax the wealthy above $250,000, eliminate the overpayments in Medicare Advantage, and put tax capital gains to help fund health care reform. TELL OUR SENATORS NO ON THE SCHUMER COMPROMISE AND NO ON THE CONRAD CO-OP COMPROMISE.


CALL ALL of the members on the House Education and Labor Committee to ask them to support a STRONGER public option than what is currently proposed in the Tri-Committee draft with these talking points below:

Tell Representative [Name] that we want the National Exchange and the public option to be started in 2010, NOT in 2013 because we desperately need affordable health care RIGHT NOW. Tell him or her that WE DON'T WANT the public option's tie to Medicare rates to "severed over time as more flexible payment systems are developed." We want the public option to be based on Medicare plus rates, and that we don't want the public option to end up as a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. We want it to be administered by the government and NOT by any private insurance companies, and to be like Medicare based on its ability to negotiate rates with providers and pharmaceutical companies. Also, that we want doctors to be required to participate in the public option, so that we can have access to the public option anywhere you are. Say that we don't want our health benefits to be taxed, but that we support a raise in taxes for the wealthy to help pay for the public option. We don't want the public option to be self-sustained only by premiums because that will help hobble its viability, and that we NEED for it to have some financing from the government.


We'll KEEP UP the pressure on these Senators and the White House as well.

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