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Call Congress Now for Real Health Care Reform

We’ve written a lot about the reasons we need health care reform now.

There’s Michelle Morse, who in order to keep her insurance had to continue going to college full time while being treated for the cancer that ultimately killed her. The baby who got turned down for insurance because he was too fat, and the one who got turned down because she was too thin. The words of some of the 42,000 letters Working America and union members sent to Congress. Sylvia from Ohio. The mother who went blind to pay for treatment for her children. The amount of money the status quo is costing us.

Now there’s a bill coming up for a vote – probably on Saturday – that will do a lot to change all those things. What will it do?

Although some provisions of reform will require time to implement, here are key changes that will kick in immediately, providing direct and critical relief to millions of working families:

An immediate insurance program for high-risk uninsured people to buy into.

Ending “rescissions”—prohibiting insurers from nullifying coverage when patients file claims.

Ending the lifetime caps on how much care insurers will cover.

Allowing young people to stay on their parents’ policies until age 27.

Allowing workers who have lost coverage because they lost their job to extend COBRA coverage.

New incentive programs to increase the number of doctors.

Funding for community health centers.

Reducing the “donut hole” in Medicare prescription drug coverage—which right now doesn’t cover any drug costs between $2,700 and $4,050.

A new fund to help employers pay for coverage for early retirees.

And that’s just the beginning. Over time, H.R. 3962 will create an exchange in which millions can buy insurance—including the choice of a public health insurance option to compete with insurance companies. Middle-class families will have real choices and real protections from unfair insurance practices—meaning they and their doctors, not health insurance bureaucrats, will be in charge of their health care. And the House bill includes both real responsibility for employers and subsidies to help families afford insurance.

The bill also includes numerous provisions to make care more affordable and better in quality, including electronic medical records, tools to fight fraud and waste and incentives for better care. It will end denials of coverage for pre-existing conditions and end co-payments for preventative care.

We need that. So let’s do what it takes to get it.

Call your member of Congress and tell them to vote for HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Then come back and leave a comment telling us how the call went.