Thursday, January 15: National Call-in Day for HR 676

Please mark your calendar now and take a few minutes this Thursday, January 15, to call your Congress member's Washington office in support of HR 676. Ask him or her to:

• Support HR 676--sign on as a cosponsor and work to move this important bill into law. Thank them if they're past co-sponsors--a list from the 110th Congress is available online here--and urge them to sign on again in this congressional term.
  
• Attend a briefing on HR 676 to be held January 28, from 3-5 p.m. in the Rayburn Building's Room 2237, and learn how single-payer can reduce health care costs by more than $1.1 trillion over the next decade, while providing comprehensive care to all Americans. Need the numbers? Read this analysis by the National Coalition on Health Care.

And ask your senators to sponsor companion legislation to HR 676 in the senate, a critical effort to compete with the current inadequate proposal put forward by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) there, and a bill to be filed by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), which is expected to be based on Massachusetts's mandated universal coverage/multi-payer plan.

The last call-in day, on December 22, was a huge success, with many congressional offices flooded with messages in support of single payer and HR 676. Senator Kennedy's office received more than 1,000 calls by 11 a.m. asking that he also a single payer bill in the senate, rather than following the Massachusetts model. Learn more about the Massachusetts system here.

Find contact info for your members of Congress at www.votesmart.org. If possible, ask to speak to the Chief of Staff or Health Care Aide rather than whoever answers the phone. Be brief and to the point, and let us know what feedback you get at afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org.

Click on "Read more" for sample phone scripts for your call to your representatives and senators. It should also be noted that a high volume of calls have been getting through to Congress, so some activists suggested shortening the script as the call-in day progresses.

HR676 Co-sponsor: Hi, my name is ________. I am calling to thank Representative ___________________ for his/her past support of HR676, John Conyers’ National Health Insurance Act. Rep. Conyers already reintroduced HR676 and 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. Also, please learn more about single-payer and the economic impact of HR 676 at the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare Congressional briefing on January 28th from 3-5pm in Room 2237 of the Rayburn Building. With cost-savings estimated at $1.1 trillion dollars over ten years, single-payer is the ultimate bail out for the American people. If you have any questions about single payer or about me, please call me at ______________. Thank you.

Non-co-sponsors: Hi, my name is __________. I am calling to urge Representative ___________________ to support of HR676, John Conyers’ National Health Insurance Act. Rep. Conyers already reintroduced HR676 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. Also, please learn more about single-payer and the economic impact of HR 676 at the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare Congressional briefing on January 28th from 3-5pm in Room 2237 of the Rayburn Building. With cost-savings estimated at $1.1 trillion dollars over ten years, single-payer is the ultimate bail out for the American people. If you have any questions about single payer or about me, please call me at __________________. Thank you.

Message to your US Senators: Hi, my name is __________. I am calling to urge Senator ____________ to sponsor companion legislation in the Senate to HR 676, the National Health Insurance Act that will implement a national single-payer health care system in the United States. The current health care legislation posed for discussion in the Senate is using the failed Massachusetts reform as a model for the nation. The 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. If you have any questions about single payer or about me, please call me at __________________. Thank you.