PHONE CALLS – these take less than two minutes and are very easy:

“Hi, I’m ___________, I’m a constituent of Senator ___________ and I’m calling to ask if Sen. __________ is planning to support the Healthy Maryland Initiative (SB207).”

If yes: “Thank you. I really appreciate his/her support for this measure and any others that will bring us closer to universal health care coverage here in MD”

If no: “May I ask what his/her concerns are?” (Please let us know any helpful feedback here). “As a constituent, I would like to express my concerns about this position and hope Sen. ____ will reconsider. Thank you.”

If undecided: “I would like to urge Sen.___ to please support this legislation. (If you have a personal connection to this issue and are willing to discuss it, please mention it.) Thank you.”

LETTERS and e-mails are best if personal and concise (not form letters). In particular, if you have a family story that explains your interest in this topic that is very powerful. We have put some possible talking points below that you can use if you need help getting started. Your voice really does matter. Constituents will make all the difference in whether legislation passes this year or not. Please spread the word to friends and neighbors as well.

It would be a great help, too, if you could cc us on your letter or email. Legislators count the number of letters they get and we need to know, too, so we can use this in our testimony and other advocacy efforts. If you would prefer not to send us a full copy of your correspondence with legislators, please drop us a quick line at members@mdhealthcarereform.org to let us know who you have written so we can most effectively target our outreach efforts.

TALKING POINTS (these are suggestions only and, if used, pick 3 or 4 at most):

• 800,000 people without health insurance is absolutely unacceptable in a state as wealthy as Maryland
• Tobacco tax is a fair and well-tested funding source for health care
• Even as cigarette use declines, the budgeting plans for HMI guarantee more than adequate funding for the programs for more than a decade
• Raising the cost of cigarettes will help prevent teens from getting started and thereby prevent a life-long addiction, as well as future health care- related expenses
• Increased funding for drug treatment and prevention programs now means we spend less on incarceration, crime and health care costs down the road
• HMI will help fund pilot programs to expand health insurance coverage for small businesses
• Fully-funding universal health care will require complex changes in our health care system, including changes at the national level, which may still be years away. The increase in a “user’s fee” on cigarettes, which are directly responsible for a wide variety of chronic illnesses, is the first and easiest step we can take at the state level.

We need to pass this bill in 2007!

For additional information, or to contact us, visit our website
www.mdhealthcarereform.org

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email: womenscoalition@mdhealthcarereform.org

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