5 ways to make your voice heard in the healthcare
1 Spend 5 minutes making 5 calls
5calls.org is a website that provides phone numbers and scripts for the representatives and senators you most want to reach on a given issue. On the topic of healthcare in particular, the website offers a script for expressing your concern about new tax cuts for the wealthy and another for requesting a Congressional Budget Office review of the Republican plan.
While really helpful and easy to use, 5calls.org only presents a limited number of issue positions, most of which lean liberal. But the same idea applies no matter which side of the aisle you’re on -- just find the phone numbers of your congresspeople and let them know your concerns.
2 Get involved with local groups focused on issues you care about
Advocacy groups on both sides of the aisle, such as Indivisible, Planned Parenthood or the NRA, often organize local events that are easy to get involved. These groups provide the opportunity to focus in greater depth on the particular issues that matter to you and will be knowledgeable guides in helping you find even more ways to stay politically involved.
3 Keep track of what’s happening in Congress
American politics is complex and often opaque. The new healthcare bill still needs to move out of committee hearings to the House floor, then to the Senate, and then signed by the President, and in between, there may be conference committees, CBO scores, and filibusters.