Actions we can take to protect our access to health care

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  • cive
    cive Member Posts: 709
    edited December 2016

    For those on medicare and social security, you can join the AARP, which is opposed to privatization of both SS and medicare and has a large voting block of seniors.

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited December 2016

    I just spoke to someone from my state's Insurance Commission (I got a call in response to a letter I sent. Yay). At this point, it's all speculation (of course) but the people to contact are really our members of the House of Reps and our Senators. We need to make sure they are strong. These are the people to contact:

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/medicare-phase-out-checklist

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited December 2016

    Have you considered writing President Obama? He's staying in DC after Jan and has made comments that he will do what he can as a private citizen. This page has a video (near the bottom). He reads 10 letters from people every day. Maybe one will be yours! (or maybe if we a lot of us write, it will hammer home to this staff that this is an important issue).

    https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

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  • nihahi
    nihahi Member Posts: 3,841
    edited December 2016

    I think Obama and his staff are well aware this is an important issue.

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited December 2016

    Nihahi, I agree they know, but after January 20 what can he realistically do?

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited December 2016

    nahahi, per my earlier post (when I talked to a health care advocate) telling our personal stories can sometimes make a difference, by putting a face on the problem. (like the impact of the Vietnam Veterans memorial or all those photos of people who were missing from the Twin Towers after 9/11 Remember that? Haunting.) This advocate was the one who suggested contacting Obama. The video link I just posted confirms this. (BTW, that page also has a link to Trump's website). It's up to you. Personally, I cannot just sit around and worry, complain and/or hope for the best, and/or hope that someone else does something. I fought to beat cancer and I'm going to fight to make sure I, and everyone, has access to health care. I hope you'll join me.

    Yorkie, there have been comments that Obama plans to be active as private citizen (lobbying? motivating our elected officials? Giving the demos strength?)

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited December 2016

    If you want to contact Trump, you can do it here (click on "Share Your Ideas" on the lower right)

    https://www.greatagain.gov/

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited December 2016

    Peggy, I'm not discounting what our wonderful President Obama can do. Hope it will be a substantial amount of advocacy. But orange is the one in control now. Sigh.

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  • cive
    cive Member Posts: 709
    edited December 2016

    Is that where the saying came from that orange is the new black?

    Winking

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited December 2016

    cive, hahaha!

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  • Luna52
    Luna52 Member Posts: 147
    edited December 2016

    cive...ROFL You are too funny!!

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited December 2016

    Here's a friendly reminder: write your elected officials, especially your congressional rep. Our stories are valuable! So few people contact their elected officials, that each contact is said to represent 200 voters. Be the 1 in 200!

    I just got a long voice mail from my new congressman yesterday (he's newly elected, so I had emailed them through his election website). He doesn't get sworn in until Jan 3, so he was calling from his personal cell phone to acknowledge my email and to ask me to contact his office when it's officially open on Jan 3.

    The GOP keeps talking about "Repeal and Delay" but the prognosis for that "plan" isn't good. Now is the time for us to reach out and put pressure on our elected officials.

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  • Luna52
    Luna52 Member Posts: 147
    edited December 2016

    Peggy,

    Is your congressman a democrat or a republican?

    I listened to Michael Moore's 5 point plan for 2017 and one of the points is to visit your representative over the holiday break when he/she is in their local office. I've been thinking about that but my representative was re-elected in 2016 and is a liberal democrat, so I wonder if I would just be singing to the choir??

    Luna

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  • Hopeful82014
    Hopeful82014 Member Posts: 3,480
    edited December 2016

    Luna, I think that even if your Rep. is a liberal Democrat it's a good idea to impress upon them that we really need for them to go into the new term with a rock-solid, no holds barred mindset. They're pretty much our last defense against some of these undertakings and they need to know that we not only need for them to be on their best game, but also that we WILL be watching. That's my take, anyway.

    I'm also contacting the lone Republican Rep. in our state and letting him know that although he's not from my district, I feel strongly about the need for Repubs. to find a spine and do what's best for the nation, not just their party.

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited December 2016

    Hopeful, I contact both my republican and democrat representatives. Access to health care is not a partisan issue.

    I find that state representatives do respond. If you don't want to write you can call and leave a message. They are people too, usually they care about your concerns and of course your vote.

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  • Hopeful82014
    Hopeful82014 Member Posts: 3,480
    edited December 2016

    Thank you, Meow. Every voice counts.

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited December 2016

    I read a newspaper article today that said the GOP might not even wait until Trump's inauguration, they might start work next week (!), as soon as they new group is sworn in. Yee. Time to contact our reps, Demos and GOP alike. Like Hopeful, I'm reaching out to those who aren't in my district (contacted the reps on my parent's state, using their home address. Maybe do the same for my aunt in Florida. Rubio is supposedly on the fence) Luna, my rep is a Demo, newly elected after a Demo retired. We definitely need to contact them so they know what we're thinking (and maybe we can help motivate them to bring their "A" game). So much is at stake.

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  • jinmo
    jinmo Member Posts: 82
    edited January 2017

    Thanks for this thread! I have contacted one of my Senators and my House member. Both are Republicans so I doubt if it will do any good, but it's better than doing nothing. I also sent a thank you note to President Obama.

    I did try to contact Rep Wasserman Schultz through her website as it is my understanding from someone on another thread that she's trying to gather up BC stories for the fight. However, no emails are accepted from outside the zip codes of her congressional district, unfortunately.

    So if anyone reads this and is in her district, please tell your story to her or see if you can get her or her staff over here to read some of these stories! Meanwhile, I am going to contact my other Senator (this one a Democrat) and see if I can get this site on her radar screen.

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited January 2017

    @ jinmo, Good for you. It's the Republicans we need to target. And they can be swayed by our personal stories--tell them what losing health insurance means to you (or even what the threat means. I can't believe you are forced to make tough medical decisions because you may lose insurance in the future. Our country should be ashamed) FWIW, I posted elsewhere the the Republicans are starting to get the message. We need to keep contacting them.

    To that end, I contacted Ryan again. Someone here posted this link:

    http://www.speaker.gov/contact/

    I also just wrote a letter and will be faxing it to ALL of his office, his speakers office fax is 202-225-2012 and all Ryan's individual offices too. (contacts listed on that page)

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  • jinmo
    jinmo Member Posts: 82
    edited January 2017

    Got a response from the Republican senator of my state, Roy Blunt. This appears to be a form letter sent out to anyone whose complaint is filed under "health care", usual Republican talking points: Obamacare bad, protecting the people of Missouri, blah blah blah.

    No response to any of the specific issues I raised (i.e. universal health care, why the current system was not working before Obamacare, instability of employer based insurance market in current economy where fewer people have a full-time job with benefits, healthcare profiteering, etc.). This is disappointing, but not unexpected. At least the office bothered to respond. I know it's not possible for a Senator to answer every letter in detail but it would have been nice to have some smidgen of a hope that someone actually read and absorbed my letter rather than categorized and filed it.

    Here is the text of the email I received, for anyone who is interested:

    Thank you for contacting me regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.

    When President Obama signed this bill into law, he assured Americans that they would be able to keep their plans and doctors, while promising choice and affordability. Since the law has gone into effect, I have heard from countless Missourians who were unable to keep their insurance plans and/or providers.

    By the end of 2013, over 4.7 million Americans had their healthcare plans cancelled. This year, Missourians who purchase health insurance on the ObamaCare exchanges will see an average of a 25 percent increase on their premium. In addition to increased costs, families in Missouri and across the nation have lost the ability to choose a plan that best suits their healthcare needs. Missourians in 97 of 114 counties and the city of St. Louis will only have one option on the exchange.

    I have continually supported repealing and replacing this law with policies that make health care more affordable and accessible, while upholding the importance of individual choice and privacy. I will make sure to keep fighting for Missourians and common sense health reform in the Senate. Real health reform should lower, not raise costs; expand, not ration care; and protect today's seniors, not cut their Medicare. We need to keep what is working and fix what is broken in health care.

    Again, thank you for contacting me. I look forward to continuing our conversation on Facebook and Twitter about the important issues facing Missouri and the country. I also encourage you to visit my website to learn more about where I stand on the issues and sign-up for my e-newsletter.

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited January 2017

    From the NCCS (National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship):

    Did you know it takes on average only SEVEN phone calls for Members of Congress to flag an issue?


    Tip Sheet for Contacting Your Members of Congress

    http://www.canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2...

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2017

    And what does a "flag" mean. Hoping it isn't putting we trouble makers on a watch list. Yeah, I AM feeling paranoid right now.

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited January 2017

    One question in the NCCS webinar was, "What can we do beyond contacting our members of Congress?"

    • 1.meet w/ your member of congress in the district (town hall meeting). Sign up for the Rep's newsletter to learn when they are.
    • 2.use twitter handle #ProtectOurCare and tag your member of congress
    • 3.reach out to your local newspaper, especially if they have a health care reporter; those journalists are looking for personal stories. Their email addresses are usually listed online w/ their byline or the masthead. Or contact them on twitter or other social media
    • 4.write LTE or OpEd – your congress member and their staffs read the local papers
    • 5.you can contact your congress members more than once—let them know this is important
    • 6.meet with district staff; a good option, esp. if you can't make it to the city hall
    • 7.talk to your family and friends; let them know there are things they can do. It's not just about cancer patients. Repealing the ACA will eliminate key benefits of people who get their insurance through their employer's plan. (here's a summary I found on NPR)
    • http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/01/19/510479949/how-large-employer-health-plans-could-be-affected-by-obamacare-overhaul
    • 8.if you live in a blue state and your reps are on-board, send the tip sheets to your family and friends in red states.
    • 9.If you want to share your story, contact NCCS http://www.canceradvocacy.org/protectourcare/

    Overall, it's ok to share facts and data but advocacy groups are doing that. Our elected reps need to hear from constituents and hear **our personal stories.**

    NCCS's experience is that there is groundswell of support for the ACA and it's making a difference. It may not stop the repeal of the ACA but it can hopefully mean that a replacement plan will meet our needs.

    Share your story with Democrats as well as GOP. They will hopefully be part of the replacement plan and can address our concerns.

    **It's not too late but don't wait until next week. **

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited January 2017

    Oh yorkie, no, please don't give into their fear and intimidation. That's what The Cheeto wants

    I'm hoping to keep this thread focused on actions we can take (there are other threads with long discussion), so I'm going to go post a comment from Jerry Brown in one of the discussion threads. See you there ;)

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2017

    I know Peggy, and I will NOT give in to that. Promise! It just gets to me at times.

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited January 2017

    On the NCCS webinar yesterday, they said that congress members are meeting this week in Philly to hash out details of a replacement to the ACA, and that the time to contact your reps it today, not next week.

    I drafted an email that I'm going to send family and friends, esp. those living in Red States. I don't want to post it here (since everything is cached by google) but if you'd like to see a draft (or use or inspire you), send me a PM. If you want, maybe you can tell me how many people you plan to contact and as the aggregate number grows, I can post it here to keep us inspired. ;) We can do this!

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited January 2017

    Someone here on BC.org started this petition that we can sign and send to people. I signed it days ago, not sure why the number isn't changing. hmmmm.....conspiracy ? ;)

    https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/keep-ins...

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  • cp418
    cp418 Member Posts: 7,079
    edited January 2017

    Thank you for posting this petition!

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  • Luna52
    Luna52 Member Posts: 147
    edited January 2017

    Peggy,

    I just followed your link and signed the petition (thanks!)

    The " number who signed" is still stuck at 1 even though it confirmed my signing. Hmmmm

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  • cp418
    cp418 Member Posts: 7,079
    edited January 2017

    It mentions that an email is sent to acknowledge you signed. I haven't gotten that notification yet....

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