Support health reform

President Obama succeeding in passing an aggressive package of health insurance reforms that will make it easier for you to buy and keep health insurance. A few of the key components of this legislation include:

• Mandated insurance company coverage of pre-existing conditions (children now, everyone by 2014);
• Removal of annual and lifetime limits on the amount your insurance company will pay for your treatment;
• Tax incentives to encourage small businesses to provide health benefits;
• Tax credits for premiums to make insurance more affordable for all families;
• Creation of a health insurance exchange – a marketplace where individuals and small businesses can compare and buy affordable coverage;

Obama’s political opposition is mischaracterizing these reforms as “socialist medicine,” threatening to overturn or defund them. What this reform provides is consumer protections within our current free-enterprise health care system. Our health care is too important to be used as a political football – supporters of reform will still need broad public support to convince a majority of Congressional legislators to demonstrate political courage to hold on to the gain made, and continue to strengthen the consumer protections. That’s where you come in.

what can you do? plenty!

read up

The Affordable Care Act has already been making a difference in the lives of millions of Americans, but opponents of the law are working diligently to block implementation of the bill. Your first step toward putting your support behind the ACA’s consumer protections is to read more about the individual health reform provisions.

The Health Insurance Resource Center isn’t alone in providing stories about the positive effects of the Affordable Care Act. There are plenty of other health reform advocacy groups that share our enthusiasm for expanded health coverage, and you should read what they’re saying, too.

know the state of your state

Pay close attention to what’s happening in your state. One of the biggest changes in your state will be the implementation of state health insurance exchanges. In a little over a year, states will be required to prove that they’re making progress toward implementing the exchanges, and well before then, you should find out what your state is doing to support or hinder state exchange implementation.

How your state addresses the challenge will make a huge difference in how consumer-friendly your exchange will be.

know your elected officials

Then, think bigger than your state. The coming year is an election year, and health reform should be a top issue for Americans. Whether you support or oppose any or all of the ACA’s health reform provisions, you should know how your legislators voted on health reform.

Did they vote for the Affordable Care Act? Did they vote for repeal of the ACA? Did they support a bill to radically change Medicare?

let your legislator know how you feel

Once you know how your legislators voted, it’s time to let them know how you feel. Phone calls can be the most effective method of making your voice heard, but nowadays, there are many other ways to raise your voice.

For every member of Congress, we’ve listed phone numbers and fax numbers, but also their Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and official Web sites. In most cases, you can find your legislator’s e-mail as well.

share information

When you find an article, a blog post, or a useful tool for tracking health reform on the Web, it’s easier than ever to share that resource with your friends. If you haven’t clicked on one of the social tools that appear on most Web pages, give it a try. It’s an easy way to get the information you appreciate to your friends and colleagues.

(You can try it now, by using the sharing buttons at the bottom of this page.)

go old-school

Don’t hesitate to go with the tried-and-true approach to getting your elected officials’ attention: a personal letter to your legislator will be logged and answered by a staffer. Or, a letter printed in your local newspaper could inspire others to pressure their representatives to work for meaningful health insurance reform.

TIP: Make it personal, short, informative and pointed. One or two clever sentences read better than a lengthy opus – and are more likely to be printed.

Tags: activism, advocacy, affordable care act, support health reform