HELPFUL TIPS FOR WRITING THE SENATE LABOR HEALTH COMMITTEE
IMPORTANT:
- You’ll write your message in the text box on Step 2, where it says “Personalize your message.”
- Your message will be delivered individually to each member of the Senate Labor Health Committee.
- Don’t click the “Send message” button until you write your message.
- REMEMBER TO DELETE THE TEXT THAT SAYS “[DELETE THIS TEXT AND INSERT YOUR MESSAGE HERE]”
YOUR MESSAGE SHOULD HAVE THREE SHORT PARTS:
1. Say who you are.
Make sure to tell them you’re a Wyoming voter.
My name is ____. I live in _____ and I’m a Wyoming voter.
2. Say what you want.
I’m writing today to ask you to vote “Yes” on House Bill 162 to update Wyoming’s Medicaid program and extend coverage to low-income adults.
3. Say why you want it.
[This is where you can add a sentence or two about why updating Medicaid and healthcare access in general is important to you.]
PRO TIPS
Keep it brief: Lawmakers are extremely busy during the legislative session. If you write them a novel, they’re not going to read it.
Change the message subject: This will let them know your email is not spam.
TALKING POINTS
A personal, values-based message is best. But maybe mention a few of these things:
- House Bill 162 would allow 24,000 uninsured people in Wyoming the ability to access healthcare without worrying about crippling debt. Watch this video about surviving cancer without insurance in Wyoming
- Congress just passed a COVID-19 relief package that includes additional funding for states that update their Medicaid programs. Wyoming would become eligible to receive enough federal funds to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income residents without any additional spending by the state.
- States that have already updated their Medicaid programs have seen economic improvements.
- The people would qualify for coverage are mostly low-income workers—for instance, a single parent making $12 an hour.
- Roughly 6,000 people in Wyoming have lost their job-based insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The hundreds of millions in federal relief funding would dramatically help during our budget crisis.
- Extending Medicaid to low-income residents would drive down uncompensated care costs at our hospitals and rural clinics, create healthcare jobs, decrease premiums in the state, and help create a healthier Wyoming.
