Weekly Actions
Members of Congress
(202) 224-2621 | Email (202) 224-3441 | Email | (202) 225-6311 | Email (202) 225-7761 | Email (202) 225-8901 | Email |
For the Week of Jan 23, 2023
🔹Happy Lunar New Year! The Lunar New Year that begins Jan. 22 ushers in the Year of the Water Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac calendar and the Year of the Cat in the Vietnamese one. It’s a time to call in prosperity, health, and good luck.
🔹If you missed the really engaging group meeting Saturday, you can catch up by viewing the Notes | Slides | Recording. The next meeting will be Saturday Feb 25, from 3:00 – 4:30 pm Register to attend (new link for 2023).
🔹Reminder: Voting opens for King Conservation District election on Tues Jan 24 at 8 am.
🔹Here are your 2 actions this week.
✊ Action 1 – [State Legislature] Four quick actions to support Reproductive Freedom before Jan 24th
From Washington Indivisible Legislative Action (WILA)
The landmark supreme court case Roe v. Wade was decided 50 years ago on January 22, 1973. Many people reading this witnessed the passing of this decision and the changes and opportunities it brought for reproductive rights, and we thank all who have contributed to this activism up until now.
The Washington State Legislature is holding hearings on a number of bills to shore up and safeguard protections for Washingtonians and those from neighboring states who need reproductive healthcare. Please take these quick actions to support 4 bills.
- Amending the Constitution to address reproductive freedom (SJR 8202): The Dobbs Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has turned abortion laws over to the states. Governor Inslee has called for an amendment to the WA State Constitution protecting women’s reproductive freedom.
- Keep Our Care Act – KOCA (SB 5241 HB 1263): Would ensure that mergers and acquisitions of healthcare systems, such as hospitals, improve rather than harm access to affordable, quality care.
- End Cost Sharing for Abortion Care (SB 5242 HB 1115): Would require insurance companies to cover 100% of the costs for abortion care procedures and services.
- Washington My Health, My Data Act (SB 5351 HB 1155): Will protect people’s personal health information by preventing it from being shared without their consent.
Please check out Indivisible Eastside’s TAN Resources page to learn more about Take Action Network (TAN) and join the hundreds of others taking quick and easy actions each day. To see more actions you can take on Gun Safety, Housing, Police Accountability, Environment and Education, visit Washington Indivisible Legislative Action’s page on TAN.
✊ Action 2 – [US HOUSE & SENATE] Tell Congress: Don’t sign insurance industry letter promoting private plans in Medicare
From Healthcare is a Human Right (HCHR)
This week, industry lobbyists from American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will swarm Capitol Hill asking Representatives and Senators to sign an annual letter to CMS requesting strong support for private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Healthcare is a Human Right (HCHR) is asking people to contact Congress right away urging them not to sign the AHIP letter. Last year, sadly, 80% of House Members signed the AHIP letter – including all WA Reps except Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith.
Here is the HCHR letter sent on January 13 to WA state’s Congressional delegation, with documentation of how large insurers in the MA program have engaged in inappropriate delays and denials of care and fraudulent practices to increase their profits, essentially stealing from the Medicare Trust Fund. This is a time bomb that will eventually bankrupt Medicare at the worst possible time, when seniors and disabled folks need it most.
You can help this week by contacting your Members of Congress asking them NOT TO SIGN ON to the AHIP letter.
- Sen. Patty Murray: DC 202-224-2621 | Seattle 206-553-5545 | EMAIL
- Sen. Maria Cantwell: DC 202-224-3441 | Seattle 206-220-6400 | EMAIL
- Rep. Suzan DelBene (1st): DC 202-225-6311 | Kirkland 425-485-0085 | EMAIL
- Rep. Kim Schrier (8th): DC 202-225-7761 | Issaquah 425-657-1001| EMAIL
- Rep. Adam Smith (9th): DC 202-225-8901 | Renton 425-793-5180 | EMAIL
Subject: Protect Medicare. Don’t sign the AHIP letter praising private medicare plans.
☎ Sample Script:
Hello, my name is [NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY]. I am calling/writing in support of Health Care Is a Human Right (HCHR) Washington’s January 13th letter urging you not to sign the annual AHIP letter addressed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, praising and supporting Medicare Advantage.
According to research and findings from Congress, reports from the Inspector General at Health and Human Services, articles in the New York Times and other journals, large insurers in the Medicare Advantage program have engaged in inappropriate delays and denials of care, upcoding, and fraudulent practices to increase their profits. They are essentially stealing from the US Government and taxpayers which is resulting in a significant threat to the Medicare Trust Fund. In the year 2020 alone, the New York Times estimated that $12 billion was defrauded from the Medicare Trust Fund.
For more details please see the Letter sent to you on January 13th. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h1FdCzTt4gX-L2Vcb3wB_W03W-2U6eCb/edit
Thank you.
[NAME]
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
Calendar of Events
- Tues Jan 24, 8-9 am – PPAA WA Reproductive Health Care Bill Support – Virtual
- Tues Jan 24, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm – PPAA WA Reproductive Healthcare Bill Public Hearings – Olympia
- Tues Jan 24, 8 am – Voting opens for King Conservation District election.
- Jan 25-27, various times – Pro-Choice Washington (formerly NARAL) Advocacy Days
- Thur, Jan 26, 7 pm – League of Women Voters Candidate Forum for King County Conservation District candidates. Register for the Zoom webinar or watch on their YouTube channel.
Save the date:
- Tues-Thurs, Feb 14-16 – WA Environmental Lobby Days. For background, see the Environmental Priorities Coalition website.
- Feb 20, 8 am-6 pm – Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Presidents Day Lobby Day – Olympia
- Sat, Feb 25, 3-4:30 pm – Indivisible Eastside Group Meeting – new registration link for 2023 https://bit.ly/IE-Monthly-2023
Previously Recorded Events of Interest:
- All past Washington Indivisible Town Halls – youtube.com/WashingtonIndivisibleNetwork
- Indivisible Co-Founders Leah Greenburg and Ezra Levin on Washington State Indivisible Podcast
… and More:
- Donate to Indivisible Eastside on our Website.
- Sign up for Take Action Network to organize and track your Activism.
- Check out the Indivisible Eastside logo wear store at www.cafepress.com/IndivisibleEastside.
- Email hello@IndivisibleEastside.com with ideas for the newsletter, questions about how to become involved, and ideas for long-term projects you’d like to be involved in.
- Forward this email to a friend!
Resources:
- 🔧 Take Action Network – easy ways to interact with state legislature
- 🔊 Washington State Indivisible Podcast
- 🔊 Washington Indivisible Network YouTube Channel
- 📄 Indivisible Eastside Resources
- 📄 Indivisible Eastside Postcards to Voters Campaigns
- 🔧 Washington State District Finder – Congressional and Legislative districts
- 🔧 myreps.datamade.us – local and county districts
- 📆 US Senate Calendar , US House Of Representatives Calendar