We really NEED our progressives in the House of Representatives to continue standing up for us on the public option! They've signed a letter to the leadership saying that they won't vote for any bill, including the conference report, without a strong, robust public option in the package.
It's time to show them our support by calling to thank them for standing up for us on REAL health care reform, so please make these phone calls today to our health care heroes!
We've also made it past $175,000 on ActBlue for our health care heroes. Let's aim for $250,000 before the day is out.
In other news, keep up going to the Democratic townhalls and make the best case as you can as a voter as to why the public option IS a crucial cost-containment and why regional co-operatives aren't crucial cost containments in making health care premiums affordable for Americans!
Here's my diary from yesterday explaining why regional co-operatives won't work because under the proposed Senate Finance bill, even Blue Cross Blue Shield could become a regional co-operative!
Mr. Conrad’s own state demonstrates the uncertainties surrounding cooperatives. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota dominates the state’s private insurance market, collecting nearly 90 percent of premiums. As a nonprofit owned by its members, the company would hope to qualify as a co-op under federal legislation, said Paul von Ebers, its incoming president and chief executive.
And one of our Democrats in this story sounds like an idiot when he says that a "co-operative" could be competitive against Blue Cross Blue Shield!
“The market here is uncompetitive,” said Mr. Pomeroy, a former state insurance commissioner. “A cooperative could provide an alternative source of insurance and some interesting competition for premium dollars. A co-op could operate at lower costs, in part because it would not need to pay its executives so generously as the local Blue Cross Blue Shield plan.”
Congressman Pomeroy, the Blue Cross Blue Shield in your state is NON-PROFIT and yet it pays its executives very generously. Blue Cross Blue Shield is planning to change its status to a "non-profit co-operative" and it'll still pay its own executives so generously. Regional co-operatives will NOT bring premium prices down when they're still being run by the same people that are now gouging us with unaffordable medical bills!
This what you guys need to print out when you go to these Democratic townhalls to explain why regional co-operatives would NOT work because they would be taken over by insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield.
- Use the FDL Recess Event Tracker Tool to find townhall events near you. And if you know of a townhall event that's not listed on the FDL Recess Event Tracker, please enter in that information.
- Report back to us at FDL about what happened at the event, and upload any videos or photos from that event. Also, if you go, don't forget to ask questions like these of our Democratic officials, and make the best case as you can as to why the public option is a necessary cost containment on insurance premiums, otherwise it'd be a mandated bailout of the murder-by-spreadsheet industry with no end in sight to your rising premiums.
- Read ShadowSD's diary for his excellent defense of the public option, and the rebuttals to the most common conservative talking points. Please bring a copy of his diary with you and your friends when you go to a townhall event.
And please, please, please, thank our Democratic heroes for saying that they won't vote for any bill that doesn't include a strong, robust public option.
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)- 202-225-4811
Corrine Brown (D-FL)- 202-225-0123
Michael Capuano (D-MA)- 202-225-5111
André Carson (D-IN)- 202-225-4011
Judy Chu (D-CA)- 202-225-5467
Yvette Clarke (D-NY)- 202-225-6231
William "Lacy" Clay (D-MO)- 202-225-2406
John Conyers (D-MI)- 202-225-5126
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)- 202-225-4741
Bill Delahunt (D-MA)- 202-225-3111
Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)- 202-225- 4865
Donna Edwards (D-MD)- 202-225-8699
Keith Ellison (D-MN)- 202-225-4755
Sam Farr (D-CA)- 202-225-2861
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)- 202-225-4001
Bob Filner (D-CA)- 202-225-8045
Marcia Fudge (D-OH1)- 202-225-7032
Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)- 202-225-2435
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)- 202-225-8203
Phil Hare (D-IL)- 202-225-5905
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)- 202-225-1313
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)- 202-225-6335
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)- 202-225-4906
Michael Honda (D-CA)- 202-225-2631
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)- 202-225-8885
Hank Johnson (D-GA)- 202-225-1605
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)- 202-225-4146
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)- 202-225-2261
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)- 202-225-5871
Barbara Lee (D-CA)- 202-225-2661
Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)- 202-225-3816
Eric Massa (D-NY)- 202-225-3161
Jim McDermott (D-WA)- 202-225-3106
James McGovern (D-MA)- 202-225-6101
Gwen Moore (D-WI)- 202-225-4572
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)- 202-225-5635
Grace Napolitano (D-CA)- 202-225-5256
John Olver (D-MA)- 202-225-5335
Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)- 202-225-5751
Donald Payne (D-NJ)- 202-225-3436
Chellie Pingree (D-ME)- 202-225-6116
Laura Richarson (D-CA)- 202-225-7924
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)- 202-225-1766
Linda Sánchez (D-CA)- 202-225-6676
José Serrano (D-NY)- 202-225-4361
Albio Sires (D-NJ)- 202-225-7919
Jackie Speier (D-CA)- 202-225-3531
Pete Stark (D-CA)- 202-225-5065
Bennie Thompson (D-MS)- 202-225-5876
John Tierney (D-MA)- 202-225-8020
Ed Towns (D-NY)- 202-225-5936
Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)- 202-225-2361
Maxine Waters (D-CA)- 202-225-2201
Diane Watson (D-CA)- 202-225-7084
Mel Watt (D-NC)- 202-225-1510
Anthony Weiner (D-NY)-202.225.6616
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)- 202-225-5161
And these are the members who are credibly onboard with the FDL Pledge:
Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)- 202-225-4535
Pete DeFazio (D-OR)- 202-225-6416
Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)- 202-225- 4865
Donna Edwards (D-MD)- 202-225-8699
Keith Ellison (D-MN)- 202-225-4755
Bob Filner (D-CA)- 202-225-8045
Barney Frank (D-MA)- 202-225-5931
Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)- 202-225-2435
Phil Hare (D-IL)- 202-225-5905
Rush Holt (D-NJ)- 202-225-5801
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)- 202-225-7944
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)- 202-225-5635
Chellie Pingree (D-ME)- 202-225-6116
Maxine Waters (D-CA)- 202-225-2201
Robert Wexler (D-FL)-202-225-3001
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)- 202-225-5161
John Yarmuth (D-KY)- 202-225-5401
And don't forget to donate to our public option fund at FDL since Nyceve, Jane, I, and others are working hard night and day on this issue for us all!
PLEASE recommend this diary so others can see the phone numbers of these brave heroes and thank them today!