Vote is very close

The House is about to vote on health care. With so much at stake, please ask Rep. McCarthy to vote FOR the health care reform bill. Representative Carolyn McCarthy Phone: 202-225-5516 Click Here Hate wins, narrowly: Yesterday, Maine voters narrowly overturned a new law allowing gay marriage. Many thanks to all the MoveOn members who worked hard to try to keep this from happening. In Washington state, voters appear to have approved an "everything but marriage" domestic partnership law. Sarah Palin loses: In upstate New York, Bill Owens, a Democrat endorsed and supported by MoveOn members, defeated a right-wing third-party candidate despite an all-out push by Sarah Palin and the "teabagger" far-right.

Dear MoveOn member,

After yesterday's election, you can bet pundits will be advising nervous Democrats to move to the right. But the biggest threat to Democrats would be failure to deliver real change—including health care reform that takes on the insurance companies.

That's why this week is hugely important. After months of build-up, the first huge health care vote is here. The House of Representatives is poised to vote on an important health care reform bill as soon as Friday.

The vote is expected to be very close, so every member of Congress needs to hear how crucial it is to support this bill. 

Can you call and ask Rep. McCarthy to vote FOR the health care bill?

Representative Carolyn McCarthy
Phone: 202-225-5516

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FHNY_04&cp_id=1172&id=17801-10220574-FcevSux&t=3

The House health care bill would expand coverage to 96% of Americans, increase choice with a public health insurance option, end discrimination due to pre-existing conditions or gender, and help reduce the deficit.¹

The bill is definitely a compromise. But thanks to House progressives, who fought hard to strengthen it, it's much better than the latest version of the Senate bill and delivers some important victories:

• The House's public option is national and available on day one. The Senate's public option allows states to "opt-out"—leaving behind some of the folks who need it most.² We need the public option in every state.
  
• The House bill makes coverage more affordable than the latest available version of the Senate bill does. A family earning $54,000 a year would pay almost $4,000 less for health insurance under the House version.³ We need more affordable coverage for middle-class families.
• The House bill covers 7 million more Americans than the latest Senate bill does.⁴ We need health care for everyone.
  

In the end, the House and Senate bills will be merged into one bill by a conference committee. A resounding vote in the House will help the stronger provisions prevail in the final bill.

Can you ask Rep. McCarthy to vote FOR the health care bill?

Representative Carolyn McCarthy
Phone: 202-225-5516

After you call, let us know by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FHNY_04&cp_id=1172&id=17801-10220574-FcevSux&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Noah, Kat, Michael, and the rest of the team

P.S. Can you also post on Rep. McCarthy's Facebook wall? If she has one, this will really get her attention. Click here to look for her Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/search/?o=65&q=Carolyn+McCarthy

To post a comment, you first have to click "Become a fan" near the top of the page. Then, just type your comment into the box that says "Write something..." and click "Share."

Sources:
1. "Affordable Health Care for America Act," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, October 29, 2009
http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0327

2. "Public Option Opt Out Denies Help to Those Who Need It Most," Firedoglake, October 8, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85096&id=17801-10220574-FcevSux&t=5

3. "ANALYSIS: House Bill More Affordable Than Senate Legislation," Think Progress, October 30, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85097&id=17801-10220574-FcevSux&t=6

4. Letter to Chairman Charles B. Rangel, Congressional Budget Office, October 29, 2009
http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/106xx/doc10688/hr3962Rangel.pdf

Letter to Chairman Max Baucus, Congressional Budget Office, October 7, 2009
http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/106xx/doc10642/10-7-Baucus_letter.pdf

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on November 4, 2009. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.