How To Call Your Representative About The AHCA

The House of Representative has changed its plans to vote on the American Health Care Act from Thursday to Friday this week. The change suggests that many members of Congress are wavering on whether or not to support the bill, which means their constituents' opinions may be a significant influence on their choices.

Do you feel strongly about this bill? Are you excited to see significant reforms to Obamacare or afraid about what the new law could do to health care premiums or the rate of Americans going without insurance?

Elected representatives are there to present their constituents' interests. So if you have a preference, pro or con, on whether or not the AHCA passes, you should feel free to let them know.(For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Here's how to do it.

If you don't know who your representative is, you can find out by entering your ZIP code here.

The next part is simple. Search for your representative's office's website, and call the number listed with his or her contact details. A congressional staffer will likely answer the phone; tell him or her your message as succinctly as possible. Be sure to say that you're a constituent of the representative you're calling and say explicitly whether you think the AHCA should be passed or voted down.

It's really that easy.

If you have trouble finding your representative's number, you can also call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell the operator whose office you're trying to reach.

Many representatives, particularly Republicans, appear to be torn between supporting the bill and voting for it. In these cases, your calls may be likely to have a greater impact than it otherwise would on their decisions. Since the vote may come down to a razor's edge, as nearly all House Democrats are expected to vote against the bill, any final single congressional vote could be the deciding factor.

Various Republicans have said that they are taking their constituents' concerns seriously:

NBC News compiled a list of the Republicans who appear to be most persuadable on whether or not to vote for the bill.

For more information about the bill, read Patch's reports on the CBO scoring of the bill and on the bill's rollout.

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Photo credit: johrling