On Wednesday, February 17th, hundreds of Californians rallied together in San Francisco and Los Angeles to kick off the “40 Days, 40 Nights to Health Reform” campaign and call on Members of Congress to “Get it Done Now” and pass quality health reform.
Over the course of the next 40 days, Health Access California and Health Care for America Now California - along with our partners all across the state - will be asking supporters to take part in a number of activities to ensure that Members of Congress know exactly what we expect from them. This is an opportunity for people on the ground to take action and make sure their voice is heard, and will include a wide variety of activities for people to get involved in, including calling their Members of Congress, submitting Letters to the Editor to their local newspapers, district office visits, house parties and more!
Californians Call on Congress to Finish Reform Right, Feb. 17
The goal of this campaign is simple: Tell Congress “We voted for change in 2008. Get it done now! Get it done right!”
And just because we lack the 60th vote in the Senate in order to break Republican filibusters - we still have another opportunity to get it done right!
This new opportunity rests on correcting the flaws contained within the Senate’s version of the Health Care Reform bill. Most notably - we need to correct the so-called “excise tax” and increase affordability provisions in order to make the bill more attractive to Members of the House.
The American people have spoken - and they demand a health reform bill that:
- Eliminates or significantly reduces the so-called excise tax on higher cost health plans
- Improves affordability through the exchange
- Fills the “donut hole” for Medicare/Medi-Cal recipients
- Requires employers to contribute their fair share to employee coverage
- Substantial improvements to the Medicaid program
- Creates a national exchange that includes a public option
After these important changes have been made - the House and Senate can then move forward and pass health reform through the reconciliation process.
We’ve got a lot to do and a short amount of time to do it. And nowhere is this need most acute than right here in California - where our burgeoning population of uninsured families is waiting desperately for reform to make health care more accessible for them; and consumers are waiting anxiously for a reprieve from the monopolistic control of the private health insurance industry.
And while the next 40 days will consist of a concerted nationwide effort to make health reform a reality before the Congressional Easter Break - the country is looking to California to lead the way in this historic battle. Nowhere has the need and demand for health reform been heard loudest than right here in the Golden State. Millions of lives are at stake - and we can’t afford to put this off any longer.
But as always, our efforts are entirely dependent on the continued support and engagement of our dedicated volunteers and activists all throughout the state.
With that said, here’s our first order of business:
We need to call Senators Boxer and Feinstein and urge them to support fixing the Senate Health Reform bill so it can eventually pass the house.
Click here to get connected to Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Dianne Feinstein TODAY!
Or, dial (toll) free 1-877-264-4226 to get connected NOW!
We’ll send out e-mail action alerts - so if you’re not subscribed already, please do so by clicking here. Actions will also be posted here on the official HCAN-CA Action Center, so please be sure to check back for updates!
