ACTION ALERT: It’s working – keep it up!

sign saying health care is a human right

Your advocacy is working. After Senators’ offices began to receive a new wave of calls and protesters, the Senate has postponed their vote on the Affordable Care Act repeal bill. This is a good sign – Senators are worried about how this bill looks to the people they represent. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from fighting this bill in the House, it’s that we need to ramp up the pressure. The politicians working to repeal the ACA and destroy Medicaid won’t stop, so neither can we.

This week and next week will decide the future of this bill. The other side will be negotiating, making deals, and doing everything they can to persuade more Senators to vote Yes. We need to make sure our voices are louder than the wheeling and dealing happening behind closed doors.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Call your Senators and tell them to vote NO. We need to keep up the pressure and flood their offices with calls. You can find your Senators’ office numbers at contactingcongress.org, and use our Civic Engagement Toolkit to help you plan your call. Here’s a script you can use:
Script for calling your Senator
My name is [your full name]. I’m a constituent of Senator [Name], and I live in [your town]. I’m calling to ask the Senator to vote NO on repealing the Affordable Care Act. This bill would take health insurance away from 22 million Americans, and destroy Medicaid as we know it. Disabled people in our state would lose access to lifesaving health care and be forced into institutions – all to fund a massive tax break for the wealthiest Americans. People with disabilities like [me/ my family member/ my friends] are not disposable, and our Medicaid is not your trust fund. Please vote AGAINST repealing the Affordable Care Act. We’re counting on you to do the right thing.
  • Talk to your Senators at town halls and other public appearances. Your Senators will list their public appearances on their websites, and you can also check TownHallProject.com.
  • Arrange meetings with your Senators at their local offices. To find your Senators’ local offices, visit contactingcongress.org. Under the contact information for each Senator, there is a list of their local offices. You can contact these offices to set up a constituent meeting – this is one of the most effective ways to get your point across to an elected official. You can use this script to arrange a meeting:
Script for setting up a meeting
“My name is [Your Name] and I am a constituent of Senator [Name]. I would like to meet with the Senator or their staff during the next couple weeks, to talk about the issues that are important to me. Can we set up a time?”
  • Attend a local rally. ADAPT and the Center for Public Representation both have demonstrations planned in many states. If you don’t see a rally near you, check if another organization is holding one. In the next couple weeks, lots of community organizations will be holding rallies to save health care, and they will need a disability presence.

What we do now will make all the difference. Senators need to be confronted with our message in their offices, at their events, in DC and in their home states. This is a historic moment, and the outcome of this fight will impact the lives of people with disabilities for decades to come. Years from now, we’ll look back on these days and what we did. Let’s make it something we can be proud of.