Advocacy Alert: Keep Up the Pressure on Project 2020!

October 8, 2009 Keep Up the Pressure on Project 2020! Recruit Co-Sponsors and Press for Inclusion In Health Reform Although Project 2020 (S. 1257/H.R. 2852) was not included in the Senate Finance Committee's bill as n4a and NASUA had hoped, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) remains committed to advancing the measure when the health care reform bill comes to the Senate floor later this month. House sponsor Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) is also interested in moving a similar amendment through the House process. As we wait for these possible floor amendment efforts to advance, advocates must not sit idle. n4a will alert you to the ideal time to make calls to your Members of Congress on any Project 2020 amendments to health care reform, but it is critical that we continue to use the next few weeks to build overall support for S. 1257/H.R. 2852. Having more co-sponsors for this legislation helps in the short-term (earning votes for amendments) and long-term (advancing the bill in the future). Please take action in the next week to help move Project 2020 forward. Here's how…. à We need your Members of Congress to co-sponsor Project 2020 now! We are assuming you have sent a letter to your Members, so here's what you should do if your Members are not yet on the list of Project 2020 co-sponsors: (link) call the local and DC offices (ask for the staffer who handles health issues), reiterating and sharing your letter on Project 2020; send another letter on S. 1257/H.R. 2852, signed by all the AAAs/Title VI aging programs in your state, the providers and other aging groups in your PSA, and/or clients and advocates; secure a meeting with the staff of the Member's local office; or recruit advocates with political or personal connections to your lawmakers to also reach out in support of the bill. Make your request timely by mentioning that S. 1257/H.R. 2852 may be offered as floor amendments during the upcoming health reform debates, so you are urging prompt attention to the bill. Please understand that it often takes numerous requests before a Member signs on to a piece of legislation, so do not despair if you do not succeed immediately. Keep up polite but firm pressure until they realize that staff really should spend some of their limited time to read the bill and make a recommendation to their boss. Resources: Not sure where to start? n4a's Project 2020 Campaign Page has all you need to craft your correspondence, educate others about the bill and ultimately persuade your Senators and Representatives to get on board. Letters: n4a and NASUA have developed state-specific sample letters that you can use to form the basis of your letter to your Senators and Representatives. Simply cut and paste the text into a new document and personalize as you see fit. But feel free to customize your correspondence, borrowing from other Project 2020 resources, like…. Talking Points for Advocates Project 2020 Overview (Short and detailed) Documents to Share: If you already have a relationship with a Member's office, please follow up on your letter with a phone call. Engage the staff member by offering to share more details on the bill, including… S. 1257/H.R. 2852 Bill Summary S. 1257/H.R. 2852 Bill Section-by-Section If they want more information on how the bill saves money, direct them to the actuarial report. If you have questions about this Advocacy Alert, please contact n4a's Public Policy and Legislative Affairs staff, Amy Gotwals and KJ Hertz, at 202.872.0888 or agotwals@n4a.org, khertz@n4a.org.

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) 1730 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Suite 1200 Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 872-0888 Fax:(202) 872-0057