From June 12-June 23, we are participating in the #showusthebill campaign in support of the stop Trumpcare movements. Direct communication with your representatives is democracy in action and is effective.

The Senate Republicans are trying to pass a healthcare bill by the end of June. In addition to limiting input on the bill to thirteen men, and refusing to consider bipartisan proposals, they are not planning on holding hearings or releasing the text of the bill for even the other Senators to read (much less the American public) until shortly before they call for a vote. This lack of transparency is unacceptable.

Part 1: Call Your Senator’s Health Care Staffer

Part 1 of the #showusthebill campaign calls for daily phone contact with the Health Legislative Assistant. See the steps below:

Step 1: Identify your Senator’s health staffer and contact info

A full list of Senators’ health staffers is here. Contact info for Arizona, Idaho, and Utah:

State Senator Phone number Staffer’s Name AZ John McCain 202-224-2235 David Bennet AZ Jeff Flake 202-224-4521 Helen Heiden ID Jim Risch 202-224-2752 Alex Curd ID Michael Crapo 202-224-6142 Kellie McConnell UT Orrin Hatch 202-224-5251 Stuart Portman UT Mike Lee 202-224-5444 Leslie Ford

Step 2: Call your senator’s health staffer and ask them to release the bill

Call the senate office number

Ask for the staffer by name

If you are unable to reach the staffer in person, leave a message, and ask for a written response .

. Identify yourself by name and zip code

Follow the proposed script:

“My name is [your name] and I am a registered voter from [your zip code]. I am upset that the senate health care bill is being written in secret. Democracy should be conducted in public, with the voice of the people. The health care bill must be released for review by the full Senate and by the public. I will not tolerate a vote on the bill before the CBO reviews and scores the bill. When will the bill be released? Does the Senator have a current position on this bill? When will we know the Senators’ position? Is the Senator planning to vote on the bill before Americans have had a chance to review and provide feedback? Please tell the Senator to release the bill.”

Step 3: Repeat your call every day from June 12 through June 23, until the bill is released. Set an alarm on your phone as a reminder.

Note: If your senator is a Democrat, she/he probably already opposes the bill. STILL CALL. Thank them for their efforts to protect healthcare, and tell them that you support those efforts. Insist that they do whatever they can to pressure their colleagues into releasing the text of the bill. Insist that they do whatever they can to defeat this bill, which is rumored to look substantially similar to the disastrous bill the House Republicans pass. And then encourage your friends and family to call. See our new post on Democrat-focused scripts here.

Part 2: Send a Letter/Email to your Senator and their Health Care Staffer

Part 2 of the #showusthebill campaign calls for weekly letters or emails to both your Senator (using their online contact form) and their staffer (via the email listed above).

Step 1: Locate your Senator’s online contact form and their Health staffer’s email address

A list of all Senators’ contact links is located here. Contact info for Arizona, Idaho, and Utah:

Step 2: Send a letter to both your Senator and his/her health staffer

Identify yourself by name and zip code

Copy and paste the letter template (link to google doc here)

Dear [Senator or Staffer], My name is [NAME] and I deserve to see the health care bill. The American people deserve to review and understand any legislation that could: Cause over 20 million Americans to lose insurance coverage and access to health care particularly, elderly, rural, and working-class Americans;

Force states to make decisions that could lead to cutting benefits or removing Americans from Medicaid;

Disproportionately negatively impact women;

Threaten millions of healthcare workforce jobs; and,

Present a significant negative impact to our economy. Any legislation the Senate develops to replace the Affordable Care Act must also include public hearings, expert testimony, and debate, just like was done for the ACA. The creation, review, and passing of the ACA took a year of hearings, meetings, and included Republican amendments. It is unacceptable for legislation with so much potential impact on the American people to be crafted in secrecy and voted on without adequate time for Americans and other Senators to review the bill. Show us the bill. Sincerely, [NAME], [ZIP] Sources: http://kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/ten-ways-that-the-house-american-health-care-act-could-affect-women/ http://familiesusa.org/blog/2017/05/four-major-problems-republican-repeal-bill-findings-cbo

Consider adding personal details or state facts to the letter

An example paragraph for Arizona could look like this:

In Arizona, the current House bill will increase premiums by $1,217 in 2018. Health insurance coverage losses will total 465,200: 57,500 losing Medicaid coverage, 184,100 losing Employer-Sponsored Coverage, and 223,300 losing Individual Market Coverage.

Step 3: Send a letter twice – once the week of June 12th, and once the week of June 19th.

Part 3: Spread the Word about #showusthebill

Coordinated calls have an impact. Increase the impact, by increasing the number of people calling.

Step 1: Ask your friends/family to join in the campaign, especially if they have Republican Senators

Step 2: Use the #showusthebill hashtag to show your support on social media

Step 3: Share the following images on Social Media:

Hover over the pics to share this post to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Reddit. Click the link below the pic to share the pic directly to Twitter.

Other Resources:

Tracking the Emerging Senate Bill (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

Loss of Insurance by State (American Progress.org)

Which states/senators benefitted from the ACA (Axios.com)

Tips for calling your representatives (Emily Ellsworth)

Stop Trumpcare Guide (Indivisible Guide)

Tips if your Senators are Democrats (Twitter – @istrumpcarestilldead )

Call to Action on Trumpcare (Twitter – @benwikler )

Trumpcare Toolkit (Center for American Progress Action Fund)

Families USA Mobilize Post

Move On Petition

Health Care Talking Points (Indivisible WA)