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Advocacy Efforts
To bring about real change to the American healthcare system, we have launched our “August Initiative”. To make it as successful as possible, we have developed resources for the community to use when advocating for healthcare reform. Below you will find sample letters, call scripts and other materials that can be used as is or personalized to meet your needs when contacting your legislators.
Ways to Advocate
Personal Visit
One of the best ways to advocate for a cause is to visit your senators and representatives. In order to get a meeting, you can call, email, mail, or fax to make an appointment. You will likely need to use more than one of these methods to get a response. The following is a sample letter that can be used to request a meeting.
Honorable Senator/Representative Last Name:
I would like to first thank you for your concern for our nation’s health. As a constituent and public health professional, I am writing to request an appointment with Senator/Representative Name in his City office on Date or any other date which is more convenient to discuss health reform legislation.
As a member of the American Muslim Health Professionals, a faith-based, professional organization dedicated to public health, I am concerned that legislation to reform our nation’s health system might fail to include a robust public health insurance option, strong private health insurance company regulation, and an emphasis on public health and prevention, including population-based and community-based prevention.
Please contact me to let me know when you might be available to meet. I will follow up with you in the next week by phone. Thank you for considering my request.
Sincerely,
Phone Call
If you are unable to get an appointment, another effective way to advocate is to make a phone call to your legislators. The following is a sample call script that can be used when making the call.
Good Morning/Afternoon.
My name is (full name). I am a constituent from (city). I/my family/my community/AMHP am/is closely watching the current healthcare debate in the House/Senate and would urge you to support (bill #) comprehensive healthcare reform legislation.
Specifically, I/we believe it is imperative to have a bill that contains provisions for 1) a robust public health insurance option, 2) strong private health insurance regulation, and 3) with a strong focus on prevention.
Any bill without these key components should be opposed.
Thank you for taking my call.
Email/Mail
If you do not have the opportunity to make a call, please send a quick email. The following is a sample letter than can be used for an email, mail, or fax.
Honorable Representative/Senator _______:
I/We would like to thank you for your concern for our nation’s health (and urge you to support bill #). I/we, like many concerned Americans, am/are closely following the debate taking place in the house/senate.
I am writing today to urge you to support comprehensive healthcare reform legislation. Specifically, I/we believe it is imperative to have a bill that contains provisions for 1) a robust public health insurance option, 2) strong private health insurance regulation, and 3) with an increased emphasis on prevention. Any bill without these key components should be opposed.
I/we back the need for a strong, national public option open to all Americans because:
- It will decrease healthcare costs and make health insurance more affordable
- It will increase access to care, particularly for those who do not have employer-based health insurance
- It will bring needed stability and portability to the health insurance marketplace
I/we endorse the need for strict regulation of the private by:
- Requiring guaranteed issue and renewal
- Preventing exclusions of pre-existing conditions
- Prohibiting rescissions due to illness
- Obliging the use of community rates, if there is an individual mandate
- Forbidding the denial of specific claims
- Limiting medical-loss ratios to be no less than 90%
- Capping out-of-pocket expenses
- Banning annual or lifetime caps on benefits
- Inhibiting excessive premium increases in concentrated markets
I/we encourage a strengthened emphasis on prevention, specifically:
- Improving the public health infrastructure and increasing the public health workforce
- Expanding the number of primary care providers
- Aligning payments to encourage the use of primary care
- Eliminating co-pays, co-insurance, and other payment structures for preventative services
- Changing public policy to promote prevention
- Shifting education policy to require physical education classes and nutritious school lunches
- Modifying environmental policy to ensure limiting of exposures that are hazard to human health
- Transforming food policy to encourage eating of fruits and vegetables while discouraging the use of processed foods
- Adjusting urban-planning policy to build communities that are conducive to physical activity
I/we urge you to show your support for this important piece of legislation with these key components. Thank you for your consideration.
Regards,
Tips
The following are some tips to help facilitate your advocacy efforts.
Personal Visit
- Preparation
- Do your homework and know the issue.
- Make an appointment.
- Meeting
- If you are a constituent, begin by saying that.
- State if you are working with others on the issue, if you are active in the community, or if you are representing members of an organization/community.
- Provide a Fact Sheet with key information and position. Fact Sheets and Positions can be found here.
- If you have it, present and a copy of the bill with amendments if any are being proposed.
- Ask for their position and/or commitment.
- Talk to staff and present the same information and materials.
- Follow-up
- Send a thank-you letter/email and restate your position and request in it.
- Additional Information
- Best to go in a small group, 3 people is optimum.
- Be clear about what your position is and what you would like your legislators to do.
- Identify your bill by name and number whenever possible.
- Be firm but courteous as you express your position.
- Do not try to force a change of mind or commitment when they don’t want to.
- Meeting will usually be no more than 10-15 minutes.
- The information you provide will go into a bill file and will be available for reference at a later time.
Phone Call
- Preparation
- Do your homework and know the issue.
- Call
- Identify yourself by name and address.
- Identify the issue or bill you want to talk about by name and number.
- Briefly state your position and how you would like your legislator to vote.
- Ask for their position and/or commitment.
- Thank them for their time.
- Follow-up
- Send a thank-you letter/email and restate your position and request in it.
- Additional Information
- You may be asked for your name, phone # and/or zip code when they answer the phone.
- If you cannot speak to your legislator directly, talk to a staffer and state how you would like your legislator to vote.
- Don’t argue if the legislator takes a position against you or is unwilling to take a stand.
- Supply requested information as quickly as possible.
- If you are not calling your representative or senator, and are given grief about not being "a constituent" remind the staffer that this is an issue affecting all Americans.
- Legislator’s staff are very reliable and will tell the legislator that you called and what you said.
Letter
- Do your homework
- Address the letter correctly.
- If you live in the legislator’s district, be sure to say so.
- If you are a member of an organization, include the organization’s name.
- Clearly identify the issue and include the bill number whenever possible.
- Make a specific demand in beginning.
- Make one or two key points in support of your position.
- Offer only facts.
- Close by restating your main request, and ask for follow up.
- Keep your letter short.
- When a legislator votes as you asked, send a thank-you note.
- Extras
- Address with “Honorable Senator ____ or the Honorable Representative ____” in your introduction.
- Personalize the letter to his/her district.
- Write in your own words and include thoughts of your own.
- Tell how the problem and the proposed legislation affects you.
- Try not to use a form letter.
Most effective efforts (in rank order)
- Personal visit from a constituent who volunteered or contributed to their campaign.
- Personal call from a constituent who volunteered or contributed to their campaign.
- Personal visit from anyone who contributed or volunteered to their campaign.
- Personal call from anyone who contributed or volunteered to their campaign.
- Participating in a local constituent meeting to raise the issue.
- Personal visit from a constituent.
- Public testimony from a constituent.
- Public testimony from an expert who is not a constituent.
- Personal call from a constituent.
- Personal letter from a constituent.
- Phone message from a constituent.
- Personal call from a non-constituent.
- Personal letter from a non-constituent.
- Mail/email a form letter.
- Phone message from a non-constituent.
