GIVE AMERICA A GIFT: One Nation. One Plan.
Mike Hersh
Monday, December 22: NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY FOR HR 676, Single-Payer Healthcare
GIVE AMERICA A GIFT: One Nation. One Plan. Call both our Senators and your Congress Member in Maryland. (see below)
The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare/National Single Payer Coalition Steering Committee has adopted an action plan that includes two national call-in days to Congressional members. PDA is a key member organization of the Leadership Conference on Guaranteed Healthcare with California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, Healthcare-NOW! , and Physicians for a National Health Plan. The call-in days will focus coalition organizations on asking their membership to call individual members of Congress to support HR676.The first national call-in day is Monday, December 22nd. Activists
are
asked to target their representatives in their home districts.
The second national call-in day is Thursday, January 15th. Activists
will target the DC offices of their representatives.
Call both our Senators and your Congress Member in
Maryland. (see below)
We also encourage activists to target Senator Kennedy's office on
December 22nd. According to a letter he sent in response to a request
to support HR 676, he stated "In recent weeks I have been working on
legislation that will have bipartisan support and guarantee quality,
affordable health care for all Americans and their families." We need
to let him know that the only way to achieve this is by implementing
single-payer national health care for all. Kennedy's in-district office
can be contacted at Phone: 617-565-3170 / Fax: 617-565-3183. A draft
message to his office is below.
Tips for Single-Payer Healthcare Activists participating in
this effort:
We want to reach ALL members of Congress with our message. Current
cosponsors should be thanked for their support and encouraged to get
active behind HR 676. Non-cosponsors should be asked to get on board
with HR 676 asap. Find the co-sponsors here.
Keeping calls brief and to the point is best and not only makes your
members more willing to make calls but also makes logging the issue and
sending a clear message to Congressional members much more efficient.
Should the Congressional office want more information, you may give
them Rep. Conyers' contact
information or Healthcare-NOW!'s
information.
Please keep track of your outreach efforts--especially reactions to the
calls that your members may note. All of this information is critical
as we track the support in Congress for HR 676. Please report back
about the Call-In day to Healthcare-NOW!.
How to contact your representative: You can find your representatives
contact information here.
We recommend calling and/or faxing on this day to get your message
through. If possible, request to speak to the Chief of Staff or Health
Care Aide, rather than leaving the message with whomever answers the
phone.
| Senior | Senator Barbara Mikulski 202-224-4654 | Democratic |
| Junior | Senator Benjamin
Cardin 202-224-4524 |
Democratic |
| 1 | Rep. Wayne Gilchrest* 202-225-5311 | Republican |
| 2 | Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger 202-225-3061 | Democratic |
| 3 | Rep. John Sarbanes 202-225-4016 | Democratic |
| 4 | Rep. Donna Edwards 202-225-8699 | Democratic |
| 5 | Rep. Steny Hoyer 202-225-4131 | Democratic |
| 6 | Rep. Roscoe Bartlett 202-225-2721 | Republican |
| 7 | Rep. Elijah Cummings 202-225-4741 | Democratic |
| 8 | Rep. Chris Van Hollen 202-225-5341 | Democratic |
* Lost bid for re-election. Incoming Congressperson is Frank
Kratovil (D)
Draft scripts:
HR676 Co-sponsor call: Hi, my name is ----------------. I am calling to
thank Rep. ___________________ for his/her support of HR676,
John Conyers' National Health Insurance Act. Rep. Conyers plans to
reintroduce HR676 shortly after the Congress is back in session in
January, but I want to reaffirm my support for HR676, single payer
healthcare legislation and ask Rep. ____________________ to do the same
by signing on again as a co-sponsor working for true reform of this
terrible healthcare system. I say no
to Massachusetts style health care,
and yes to single payer health care as proposed in HR 676. Single payer
gives more freedom of choice and access to quality care for patients
and it is the most economical way to make sure we all can access care
when we need it. Now is the time to give the gift of healthcare for all
to every American. Happy holidays and thank you. If you have any
questions about single payer or about me, please call me at
__________________.
Non-co-sponsors call: Hi, my name is ----------------. I am calling to
urge Rep. ___________________ to support of HR676, John
Conyers' National Health Insurance Act. Rep. Conyers plans to
reintroduce HR676 shortly after the Congress is back in session in
January, and I want to reaffirm my support for HR676, single payer
healthcare legislation and ask Rep. ____________________ to do the same
by signing on as a co-sponsor and working for true reform of this
terrible healthcare system. I say
no to Massachusetts style health care,
and yes to single payer health care as proposed in HR 676. Single payer
gives more freedom of choice and access to quality care for patients
and it is the most economical way to make sure we all can access care
when we need it. Now is the time to give the gift of healthcare for all
to every American. Happy holidays and thank you. If you have any
questions about single payer or about me, please call me at
__________________.
Message to Senator Kennedy:
Hi, my name is ----------------. I am calling to urge Senator
Kennedy to make his proposed legislation for health care reform
single-payer. The current reform in Massachusetts is leaving thousands
uninsured and is far too expensive to be sustained because it leaves
profit in the middle of our health care system. In the most recent
election, local
ballot initiatives
supporting single payer and opposing individual mandates passed by
landslide margins in all ten legislative districts where they appeared.
With almost all precincts tallied, roughly 73 percent of 181,000 voters
in the ten districts voted YES in support of a single-payer system. Say
no to Massachusetts style health care, and yes to single payer health
care as proposed in HR 676. Happy holidays and thank you. If you have
any questions about single payer or about me, please call me at
__________________.