Actions steps for health care reform

It's Game Day. The Senate is expected to unveil their health care bill tonight, and the Congressional Budget Office is expected to release their cost estimates today too. From there, the first Senate vote to proceed with debate on the bill will likely happen Friday or Saturday.

We've gotten further on getting health care reform passed than in the previous decades. The House was a narrow passage. The Senate is expected to be even closer. A couple of senators are threatening to filibuster and prevent the bill from coming to an up or down vote. Compromises on the public option are circulating. Senators need to hear from their constituents that voting for the bill is the right vote. The other side is calling them too. We need our voices to be loud and clear!

Can you step up in 3 ways these next few weeks?


1. Phone Banks
We are hosting phone banks to call voters in other states, asking them to call their Senators and support health reform (the bill, once it is out) and against a filibuster. Currently we are focusing on Maine because our coalition partners believe Sen. Snowe and Sen. Collins can be swung and on Connecticut because Sen. Lieberman is not supportive... yet. Every vote counts.

If you haven't come out to phone bank, please do. The phone bank captain will train you prior to starting. These calls are fun and personally rewarding.

Wednesday November 18
Sunday November 22

Phone banks after Thanksgiving holidays TBD. Stay tuned, but we are aiming to have Sunday evenings and one midweek phone bank.


2. Finish Line Rapid Response
We don't know when the crucial votes are going to be in the Senate. To be most effective, Organizing for America and CSfC need volunteers to be mobilized on a day's notice. We need volunteers who would be interested calling residents in key states and asking them to call their Senators. We may also need volunteers to visit Sen. Kerry or Sen. Kirk's office. We will walk you through any actions and answer all questions you may have.

Please email health.reform@cambridgesomervilleforchange to sign-up. Sign-up if you will have a free half-hour or an hour or more.

3. Call Senators Kerry and Kirk
Please thank them for their continued support of health care reform. They need to hear from us to keep pushing for this real reform as there will be tough votes and potentially tough compromises to try to dilute the bill.

Sen. Kerry: (202) 224-2742
Sen. Kirk: (202) 224-4543