How To Call Your Senators About Republican Health Care Reform

WASHINGTON, DC — Senate Republicans are debating health care reform this week, even as various lawmakers in the GOP voice serious concerns with all proposed bills. On Wednesday night, the Senate voted down the bill devised by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by a vote of 43-57, but there are various other potential plans the Republicans are considering.

Much of this process has been rushed, and many expect the reform effort to fail for this reason. Lawmakers, interest groups and the public typically want more time to review such a bill before a vote; members of Congress, in particular, often need time to gauge their constituents' support.

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. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

• 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.

With The Clock Running, Senate Health Care Bill Has A Long Way To Go

• 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 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is on the right track.

Senators who have already publicly expressed misgivings about the bill include:

• Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas
• Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin
• Sen. Mike Lee, Utah
• Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky
• Sen. John McCain, Arizona
• Sen. Susan Collins, Maine
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
• Sen. Dean Heller, Nevada
• Sen. Cory Gardner, Colorado
• Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio
• Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
• Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana

Collins and Murkowski both voted against debating Obamacare repeal, 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.

Republicans other than Collins and Murkowski may also be open to hearing what their constituents think on the issue, but the above list covers those who are most likely to be swayed.

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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