How To Call Your Senators About The Graham-Cassidy Health Care Reform Bill

WASHINGTON, DC — Just as many political observers had convinced themselves that Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare were dead, a dark horse bill has again raised the possibility that the GOP might tear down the previous administration's signature domestic accomplishment. The newest proposal, called the Graham-Cassidy bill, would cut Medicaid, reduce federal funding for American health care and weaken Obamacare's protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Republicans are operating on a tight deadline to get the bill passed — any chance to pass health care reform this fiscal year dries up on Sept. 30. Many of Obamacare's defenders didn't take the the newest bill seriously, because all previous efforts by the GOP to overhaul health care have failed, and they thought it would be too hard for Republicans to get the vote.

But Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who thwarted the GOP's last attempt to take down Obamacare, has said he is open to the newest bill. And Monday afternoon, the Congressional Budget Office said it would work quickly to produce an estimate of the bill's long term deficit impact — a necessary step if the bill is to pass with fewer than 60 votes. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Learn more about the the Graham-Cassidy bill and what it will do.

CBO also said, however, that it would not have enough time to evaluate other aspects of the bill, such as its effects on premiums or the number of the uninsured. Previous CBO estimates of coverage losses caused by other GOP bills, served as a rallying cry for those opposed to the bill.

Estimates provided by non-governmental analysts suggest the Graham Cassidy bill could increase the number of the uninsured population by many millions, just as other Republican plans would have.

Do you have a strong opinion on Obamacare or health care reform generally? Want to see something passed quickly or watch all efforts fail on the Senate floor? Here's how you can get in touch with your senators to let them know.

• First, visit the Senate contact directory. If you don't know who your senators are, you can simply select your state from the drop-down menu, and the names of your two senators will appear.
• Second, if you only want to call one of your senators, be aware that some of them are up for reelection in 2018, while others won't be on the ballot again until 2020 or 2022. Senators listed as Class I and Class II will be on the ballot sooner, so they may be more responsive to constituents.
• Third, when you call, you will most likely speak to a Senate aide. Be short and direct; tell them what you're calling about, and tell them what you think of Obamacare. Since the vote is likely to take place very quickly, it's probably best to simply say whether you're for or against repeal. You can bring up specific issues with the Senate's bills, but there may be little time for senators to propose amendments to fix such problems.

And as always: Be sure to mention that you're a voter in your senator's state.

If you live in a state where you're represented only by Democrats in the Senate, there may be little point in calling your senators. Democrats are uniformly opposed to Obamacare repeal efforts, and it's unlikely they'll be persuaded otherwise.

Republicans, on the other hand, may be more persuadable either way. While Republicans have all publicly denounced Obamacare and pledged to repeal it, many are not sure if the newest plan is the best path forward.

Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both voted against prior Obamacare repeal bill, which means they are likely to vote against any particular plan McConnell and the other Republicans come up with. Without them, the Senate only has 50 Republican votes to pass anything; if they lose one more, repeal efforts are dead.

On Tuesday, the governor of Alaska came out against the new bill, suggesting that Murkowski might have good reason to vote against it. The governors of Louisiana, Nevada and Pennsylvania also came out against the bill on Tuesday.

As mentioned, McCain previously opposed other Obamacare repeal bills, but he is open to the Graham-Cassidy bill.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has said he opposes Graham-Cassidy because it retains too much of Obamacare's spending.

If you don't live in their states, or in a state with any Republican, you might consider calling any relatives or friends who are represented by these senators and encourage them to call. Feel free to even shoot them a link to this article.

Finally, while many are cynical about the possibility that senators might actually listen to their constituents, insiders tend to agree that calls are one of the best methods to get your message heard. And constituents can make a difference. One woman, Brenda Neubauer, was able to persuade her senator Byron Dorgan to include a provision in Obamacare that prevents insurance companies from putting lifetime limits on individuals' health care spending. During the confirmation hearings of Betsy DeVos as Education secretary, Murkowski and Collins broke with their party and voted against the nominee, in part because of the amount of calls they received from constituents who opposed the choice.

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