A Call to Action

Just a quick note this morning – busy day.

A few years ago, when I was co-leader of a local Indivisible Group, I joined an email list hosted by the Virginia Grassroots Coalition. It is just what it sounds like – a way for local grassroots activists to join forces to pursue common goals.

I’m no longer leading the Indivisible Group, but I still get regular emails from the group’s leader, Luisa. Earlier today, I received an email about the group’s response to the Senate’s passage of the Republican reconciliation bill. She provides good information about the bill, and is also asking people to participate in phonebanking tonight to tell people about the imopact of this terrible bill.

Here's one optional script she provides for people who want to make some phone calls.

I’m reaching out to voters in your area to ask if they are aware of the potential cuts to Virginia’s state Medicaid program, Cardinal Care. Have you heard about the potential cuts?

• Engage the voter in a conversation about Medicaid (called Cardinal Care in Virginia) and the impacts of possible cuts on them and people they know. If comfortable, connect with the voter on personal stories or issues.

Prompts:

• Is anyone you know on Medicaid?

• How would Medicaid cuts affect you or your family?

• Has anyone in your family ever had to worry about their health insurance?

Listen carefully for the voter’s perspective on who is responsible for these cuts to Medicaid. You’ll be asked for your opinion in the post-call survey.

Some talking points:

• Medicaid is a federal program that benefits low-income working Americans and people with disabilities. In Virginia, it’s known as Cardinal Care.

• Medicaid cuts will affect many people in VA, including:

  • Nearly 2 million people (1 in 5)

  • 771,000 children

  • Nearly two-thirds of older and disabled Americans

• 70 percent of adults with Medicaid coverage in Virginia are employed.

• When people don’t have health insurance and have to go to the Emergency Room, we all have to pay for that care, and hospitals will be put at risk of closing.

• In many parts of VA, rural hospitals, nursing homes, and Ambulance Services rely on Medicaid to continue to operate.

I won’t be phone banking tonight, but I appreciate this outline because it’s not a bad approach for talking to anyone who supports the legislation. The idea is not to insult or alienate them but rather to approach them from a position of shared values and experiences.

I particularly like one piece of information in this script – that in Virginia, Medicaid goes by the name Cardinal Care. I didn’t know that, but anyone on Medicaid will know that.