Scripts for #KillTheBill
Senator Portman supported TrumpCare the first time around, but he can still make up for it by opposing Graham-Cassidy. There are plenty of reasons why Sen. Portman should oppose this bill–like the fact that it would cut federal funding for Ohio by an estimated $2.5 billion by 2026, or that it would jeopardize care for the 220,000 Ohioans relying on the Affordable Care Act to get treatment for opioid abuse.
But perhaps worst of all: according to the Center for American Progress, 809,000 Ohioans will lose coverage under Graham-Cassidy.
There has been no meaningful bipartisan process like Senator Portman said he was ready to participate in after the failure of the last TrumpCare bill. Tell Senator Portman to stand with Ohio instead of standing with Trump and McConnell.
SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT
Caller: Hello! My name is [ ] and I’m calling from [part of state]. Can you tell me how Senator Portman will vote on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill if it comes up for a vote?
Staffer: The Senator is still reviewing the text of the bill and hasn’t taken a position on it. There is no vote scheduled on that bill though.
Caller: I hope that Senator Portman will oppose Graham-Cassidy. The bill has not gone through regular order, like any bill that transforms ⅙ of our economy should. The bill is just like other TrumpCare bills in that it destroys Medicaid, hurts children with disabilities, seniors, and even victims of natural disasters like Harvey and Irma. And worst of all, the bill would cause 809,000 Ohioans to lose their health coverage.
Staffer: Senator Portman is committed to making sure that Ohioans have the affordable coverage they need.
Caller: If that’s what the Senator wants to do, then he should publicly oppose Graham-Cassidy and instead work with his colleagues on the bipartisan process that had been underway under the leadership of Senator Alexander and Senator Murray. And if Senator Portman were actually serious about addressing the opioid epidemic in Ohio, he would oppose this bill. There are 220,000 Ohioans relying on the ACA to get the substance abuse treatment they need, which would be jeopardized under Graham-Cassidy.
Staffer: Senator Portman is proud of his work on opioids. Under his leadership, Congress passed CARA, the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act, which is a record investment in fighting the opioid crisis.
Caller: The best thing Senator Portman could do for Ohioans who need treatment for opioid abuse is preserve Medicaid as it is today so people can get the care they need.
Staffer: I’ll let the Senator know your thoughts.
Caller: Yes, please do. I will be watching this vote closely and I expect Senator Portman to oppose. Please take down my contact information so you can let me know what Senator Portman decides to do.
Senator Portman supported TrumpCare the first time around, but he can still make up for it by opposing Graham-Cassidy. There are plenty of reasons why Sen. Portman should oppose this bill–like the fact that it would cut federal funding for Ohio by an estimated $2.5 billion by 2026, and because the CBO hasn’t had enough time to review how many people will lose their coverage as a result. But there is another reason: it’s preventing Congress from funding health insurance for children.
Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expires on Sept. 30th, in just ten days. This program provides access to quality, affordable coverage to millions of American children, including 223,583 children in Ohio. But Congress is so busy trying to ram through its TrumpCare bill that it might not be able to extend funding for CHIP in time.
Tell Senator Portman to vote NO on TrumpCare and focus on what matters most, like funding the CHIP program.
SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT
Caller: Hello! My name is [ ] and I’m calling from [part of state]. Can you tell me how Senator Portman will vote on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill if it comes up for a vote?
Staffer: The Senator is still reviewing the text of the bill and hasn’t taken a position on it. There is no vote scheduled on that bill though.
Caller: I want Senator Portman to oppose Graham-Cassidy. The bill is just like other TrumpCare bills in that it destroys Medicaid, hurts children with disabilities, seniors, and even victims of natural disasters like Harvey and Irma. And we don’t even know how many people will lose coverage because the CBO hasn’t had enough time to review the bill. It is also preventing Congress from taking care of other priorities like renewing funding for the CHIP program, which 223,583 Ohioan children use.
Staffer: Senator Portman is committed to making sure that Ohioan children have access to healthcare and is working hard make sure that happens.
Caller: If that’s what the Senator wants to do, then he should publicly oppose Graham-Cassidy and instead work with his colleagues to extend CHIP funding.
Staffer: I’ll let the Senator know your thoughts.
Caller: Yes, please do. I will be watching this vote closely and I expect Senator Portman to oppose. Please take down my contact information so you can let me know what Senator Portman decides to do.
Senator Portman supported TrumpCare the first time around, but he can still make up for it by opposing Graham-Cassidy. We know how deep the funding cuts will be for Ohio, estimated at $2.5 billion in federal funding by 2026. Not to mention the 1.9 million Ohioans with pre-existing conditions that would be hurt by this bill, and the 220,000 Ohioans relying on the ACA for treatment for opioid abuse whose care would be in jeopardy. What we won’t know is just how many Ohioans will lose coverage as a result of this bill. That’s because Republicans are planning to vote for it without getting coverage estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
It is unacceptable and irresponsible for any Senator to vote for a bill without knowing how it would harm their constituents. Tell Senator Portman to vote NO on TrumpCare until he knows how it will affect coverage for his constituents.
SAMPLE CALL SCRIPT
Caller: Hello! My name is [ ] and I’m calling from [part of state]. Can you tell me how Senator Portman will vote on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill if it comes up for a vote?
Staffer: The Senator hasn’t reviewed the text of the bill yet and hasn’t taken a position on it. There is no vote scheduled on that bill though.
Caller: I want Senator Portman to oppose Graham-Cassidy. The bill is just like other TrumpCare bills in that it destroys Medicaid, hurts children with disabilities, seniors, and even victims of natural disasters like Harvey and Irma. Our state would lose $2.5 billion in federal funding because of this bill. And we don’t even know how many people will lose coverage because the CBO hasn’t had enough time to review the bill.
Staffer: Senator Portman thinks Obamacare is a failure and something must be done to stabilize the market and lower premiums.
Caller: If that’s what the Senator wants to do, then supporting the bipartisan, transparent process that Senators Alexander and Murray are leading through regular order would be a better option than supporting the Graham-Cassidy bill. Either way, he shouldn’t be voting for a bill without knowing how it’ll hurt his constituents. Will he commit to voting against this new version of TrumpCare until we at the very least know how many people will lose coverage?
Staffer: I’ll let the Senator know your thoughts.
Caller: Yes, please do. I will be watching this vote closely and I expect Senator Portman to oppose. Please take down my contact information so you can let me know what Senator Portman decides to do.
