This Could Be the Biggest Washington Days in Our History

More than five hundred members of the bleeding disorders community will be meeting with lawmakers in Washington DC, on March 9^th  to advocate for access to healthcare. But thousands more can still have their voice be heard on these critical issues. But we need your help to make this the biggest Washington Days in our history by calling your lawmaker on March 9^th, adding your voice to the hundreds that will be meeting with lawmakers in person.

As Congress considers legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), NHF has identified key provisions that are critical to the bleeding disorders community.  These policies work together to ensure that people with bleeding disorders and many others with high-cost chronic conditions have access to adequate health insurance coverage. 

Here is how to call your member of Congress.

Call the Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121 and give your state or address. Then you will be connected with your representative's and senators’ offices. Once you reach a staff person or voicemail system, use the following talking points to tell your story.

As a member of the bleeding disorders community, it is critical that any replacement plan will:

• Maintain the elimination of lifetime and annual limits or caps on essential health benefits and other consumer protections such as pre-existing condition exclusions, network adequacy and limits on out-of-pocket expenses.
• Maintain federally defined minimum essential health benefits for private insurance.
• Maintain the Medicaid expansion to ensure that Medicaid eligibility is preserved for single men and women meeting the poverty standards

For a more in-depth look at these issues and how they might affect the bleeding disorders community, refer to our Washington Days fact sheet.

A few other things to keep in mind:

1. A phone call is the most effective way to make your voice heard.
2. You should try to confine your call to one topic – healthcare – so it will be grouped and passed on to the appropriate person.
3. Be polite. You may disagree with your representative’s stated position, but you can do so in a respectful manner.
4. Be quick. As the debate around healthcare intensifies, the volume of calls will increase.

 As more information becomes available, we will continue to share updates with you and advice on what further action NHF will be taking on behalf of the bleeding disorders community. If you have any questions about NHF’s policy efforts, please email us at: advocate@hemophilia.org