Health Care For America Now

It's time for Senators to get off the fence.

They've had enough time to think about health care. They've seen a bill get passed out of Senator Kennedy's HELP committee, and they've had time to read and digest it. They've seen a bill passed out of three committees in the House. Now, they're heading back to Washington. It's time for them to tell us where they stand on the public health insurance option.

As Chris Bowers at Open Left explains, Health Care for America Now, Democracy for America, and Open Left are in the final push to get Senators on the record about the public health insurance option.

Put simply, if we can get 50 Senators on the record supporting a public health insurance option, we can begin talking seriously about passing real health care reform using the reconciliation process or treating the cloture vote as a procedural vote and passing health care with a straight up-or-down decision in the Senate.

So far, 45 Senators are on the record supporting a public health insurance option. If we can get 50, it changes the game.

So, who of the remaining 15 do we think are going to give us an answer quickly? As Chris explains, freshman, Senators from blue states, and leaders on health reform who are still on the fence.

Therefore, our top targets are Senators Begich, Warner, Tester, Carper, and Wyden. Fax them now and ask them where they stand:

• Send a fax to Mark Begich, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Jon Tester, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Mark Warner, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Tom Carper, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Ron Wyden, asking him if he supports the public option!

While you're at it, fax the rest, too. A lot of them have said they're "open" to a public health insurance option. It's time for them to tell us if they support a public health insurance option like the one Senator Kennedy passed in the HELP committee.

• Send a fax to Kent Conrad, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Mary Landrieu, asking her if she supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Blanche Lincoln, asking her if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Ben Nelson, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Bill Nelson, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Mark Pryor, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Joe Lieberman, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Evan Bayh, asking him if he supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Olympia Snowe, asking her if she supports the public option!
• Send a fax to Robert Byrd, asking him if he supports the public option!

Send a fax today, because we deserve an answer.