National Week of Action on Health Care Kickoff 11/5

Reform efforts at pivotal point, needs union support to win

The U.S. House of Representatives released it's health care reform (HCR) legislation late last week. The Affordable Health Care for America Act - H.R. 3962, includes a strong public option for those without insurance, an employer mandate to provide insurance to employees, and does not tax our union negotiated benefits.

Keeping President Obama's pledge not to sign a bill that raises the deficit, the House bill is better than deficit neutral. According to analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, H.R. 3962 actually reduces the federal deficit by $104 billion over the next 10 years (PDF).

Other key provisions include a requirement that insurance companies accept all comers, a ban denying care because of "pre-existing conditions", and an end to gender and health status discrimination.

In all, HCR as authored by the Affordable Care for America Act would cover 96% of legal, non-elderly residents.

Call the Congress during the week of Nov. 5-12

The AFL-CIO Turn Around America campaign has planned a week of actions in support of comprehensive health care reform. View the flyer (PDF). Starting on Thursday, November 5, call your representative and senators toll-free at 1-877-3AFLCIO (1-877-323-5246) and tell them:

Health Care Reform must:

Include a strong public health insurance option to break private insurers stranglehold on the market.
NOT tax our health plans.
Guarantee employers pay their fair share.

Here's a draft script you can use when making your calls:

Calls to House of Representatives Members:
My name is ______________________ and I live in (City). I am calling today to urge you to support The Affordable Health Care for America Act, House Bill 3962. House Bill 3962 contains a strong public option, an employer mandate and does not tax working families' benefits. Families like mine need real health care reform and I hope we can count on your support. Thank you.

If you're unsure who is your U.S. Representative, you can look up his or her name here.

Calls to U.S. Senators:
My name is ______________ and I live in (City). I am calling today to urge you to support real health care reform containing a strong public option, a mandate that employers pay their fair share and reform that does not tax our health care benefits.
I hope we can count on Senator ___________ to support real health care reform. Thank you.

If you live in North Carolina, your U.S. Senators are Richard Burr and Kay Hagan.

And while you're at it, how about writing a letter, too?

Writing a letter to your Members of Congress is simple and easy. Three sentences in a personal letter from you can have a greater impact than a thousand emails. Use the talking points above to craft your message, but remember to also speak from the heart.

You can use our elected officials look up page to view the contact information and mailing addresses (both in Washington, DC and in your district) for your representative and senators.

For more information about our campaign to win affordable, guaranteed, quality health care for all, download the official flyer (PDF) for our National Week of Action.

Remember to Call 1-877-3AFL-CIO on November 5th!

With your help, we can win this fight and Turn Around America in the process.