LWV: One Last Push for Children's Health Care

[LWVMD Action and Info]

 League of Women Voters
<http://www.lwv.org/AM/Images/LWV_Logos/LWVStandardName.gif> 

One Last Push For Children's Health Care

The House is scheduled for a veto override vote for Thursday, October 18 on
the State Children's Health Insurance Program.  While the Senate provided a
veto-proof vote, the House was just 25 votes shy
<http://capwiz.com/lwv/utr/1/AXNFHSPXMC/EFCVHSQBBM/1477660231>  of a
guaranteed override.  States like Texas, California and Florida had the
largest <http://capwiz.com/lwv/utr/1/AXNFHSPXMC/JYXZHSQBBN/1477660231>
group of Members who voted no, and yet, are the three states with the
largest numbers of uninsured children in the country with 1,410,000,
1,370,000 and 658,000 respectively.  

There are three things you can do to make this last push count.  

1. You can send a letter to the editor to be printed in your local
newspaper.  Putting your Member's name in print in conjunction with the
League of Women Voters' name can be an effective tool in advocacy.  You can
use the following sample in your writing:

The League of Women Voters of [enter your state or local area here] calls on
[enter your Member's or Members' name(s) here] to support the State
Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP).  [He/She/They has/have] the chance
to protect health care for poor children by voting to override the
President's veto of this crucial program.  

Since 1997, SCHIP has made great strides in providing health care for
thousands of low-income children.  As a direct result of the program, the
percentage of low-income children in the United States without health
coverage has fallen by one-third in the past decade even as employer-based
coverage has decreased. Yet, despite the overwhelming bipartisan passage of
the bill by both the Senate and the House, the President chose to veto the
bill.  

The League of Women Voters of [enter your state or local area here] urges
[enter your Member's or Members' name(s) here] to do the right thing for our
nation's poorest kids, and vote to override the President's veto.  

Your Name
Your League Title
Your League's Name
City, State 

2. Contact your local members and advocates and ask them to call their
Member of Congress.  Calls may be made through the Capitol Hill switchboard
at 202-225-3121 or 202-224-3121.  Ask for your Member's office and tell them
to vote yes on the veto override of SCHIP.  You can use the following
talking points to help with your calls:

. As a direct result of SCHIP the percentage of low-income children in the
United States without health coverage has fallen by one-third in the past
decade even as employer-based coverage has decreased.
. In the last decade, SCHIP has provided health care coverage to six million
low-income children.  But nine million still go uninsured.  This is far too
big a number, and more needs to be done.
. Children, particularly those in low-income families, deserve our help.
SCHIP will play a key role in promoting the health, well being and full
development of our next generation of Americans.

3. Click here <http://capwiz.com/lwv/utr/1/AXNFHSPXMC/AVDGHSQBBO/1477660231>
to send our SCHIP action alert to your local members and advocates (you may
enter up to 50 at a time by separating each with a comma, semicolon or new
line).

BACKGROUND

Learn more <http://capwiz.com/lwv/utr/1/AXNFHSPXMC/CDWQHSQBBP/1477660231>
about what the League has done to support the reauthorization of the SCHIP.

For additional information, please contact LWVUS Grassroots Lobbyist
Christina Vamvas at lobbying at lwv.org.


League of Women Voters
1730 M Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036 
202-429-1965
<http://capwiz.com/lwv/utr/1/AXNFHSPXMC/IUZGHSQBBQ/1477660231> www.lwv.org
<mailto:lwv at lwv.org> lwv at lwv.org

 

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