Hepatitis Health Action! The Hepatitis Community Responds to Health Care Reform

Hepatitis Health Action!
The Hepatitis Community Responds to Health Care Reform
Action Alert!

Prevention Funding in Health Care Reform Under Attack

Tell Your Representative to Vote NO on H.R. 1217

On April 5th, Republicans in the House of Representatives continued their assault on the Affordable Care Act when the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted along partisan lines in favor of H.R. 1217, which would repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund. This fund, part of the health care reform law, provides money each year for vital prevention and public health services. The fund will grow each year until it eventually provides $2 billion/year.

This fund offers a great opportunity for us to get some of the money targeted to viral hepatitis prevention, screening, and testing programs. How can we advocate for that money if the entire fund is repealed. We also must protect this fund as part of defeating the ongoing strategy by those who oppose the Affordable Care Act to attack the law by repealing and defunding its important pieces.

The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 1217 as early as this week. Please take a few minutes to call your Representative and tell him/her to vote NO.

What YOU can DO:

Please call your U.S. House Representative immediately. We are hearing directly from Congressional staff that phone calls are the most effective form of communication.

Call the Capitol Switchboard toll-free at 1-888-876-6242 and ask to be connected to your Representative. When you reach your Representative’s office, tell whoever answers the phone that you are a constituent and that you would like to speak to the staff person who handles health care issues. Whether you speak to the staff person live or leave a voicemail, tell him/her:

“My name is _______________ and I live in (city/state). I am calling to urge Representative ____________ to vote no on H.R. 1217. This bill would repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which is an important part of the Affordable Care Act. This Fund is a great opportunity to provide badly needed funding for viral hepatitis prevention, testing, and screening programs and must be preserved.”

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference! Please spread the word.

Get involved with Hepatitis Health Action!

· Sign up for the Hepatitis Health Action email list by visiting http://groups.google.com/group/HepHealth or, email Christina at cchun@projectinform.org and we will make sure you are added.

· Join Hepatitis Health Action’s Facebook group: http://tinyurl.com/hephealthfacebook where you can participate in discussions with other advocates and share your ideas and strategies.

· Follow Hepatitis Health Action’s blog for news and commentary: http://hephealthaction.wordpress.com

Hepatitis Health Action is a new campaign led by viral hepatitis advocates working to make sure that health care reform addresses hepatitis B and C.

Martha Saly
Director
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
707-480-0596
www.nvhr.org

The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable is a coalition of public, private and voluntary organizations dedicated to reducing the incidence of infection, morbidity and mortality from viral hepatitis in the United States