HELPFUL TIPS FOR WRITING THE JOINT REVENUE 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 Joint Revenue 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” to sponsor a bill that would extend Wyoming Medicaid coverage to low-income adults.
OR
I’m writing you today to ask that you vote to sponsor a bill to expand Medicaid in Wyoming.
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
Change the message subject: This will let them know your email is not spam.
Keep it brief: Lawmakers receive lots of emails. If you write them a novel, they’re not going to read it.
TALKING POINTS
A personal, values-based message is best. But maybe mention a few of these things:
- Extending Medicaid coverage to low-income adults 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
- The American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19 relief package recently passed by Congress, 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 Wyoming’s 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.
