by Jane Dimyan-Ehrenfeld

If you want to really grab some attention and maximize your chance of being heard, hop in the car, on a bus or train, on your skateboard, bike, roller skates, scooter, Segway, or even your own two feet, and hightail it down to your Representative or Senator’s office to deliver your message in person.  You can try to schedule a meeting with your Congressperson in advance (your Congressperson’s website should have information on how to do this); even if you don’t get to meet with him or her, you can ask to meet with an aide responsible for health care policy.

Bring printed copies of a letter outlining your thoughts on health care reform.  That way, you can deliver your message in person, and also ensure that anyone you didn’t get to talk to will get the message too.

If you can’t make it to the home office, but you do have a few free minutes in your day, call the office and ask to talk to a health care aide.  Once you have an aide on the phone, you can explain why health care reform is important to you, and what you hope to see your Congressperson do to make reform happen.

Finally, if your days are crazy and a visit or phone call is not possible, take a few minutes in the evening to send an email to your Congressperson outlining what you would say to him or her in person if you could.

Here’s how we can help:

Use the pre-written letter on our Take Action page.  Add your own stories and ideas to make it personal and powerful.

Look at the Y.I. Health Care issue page for talking points and the basic Y.I. position on health care reform.  Pick a few points that really speak to you, and talk about them in your meeting, on the phone, or in your letter.  Be sure to explain why they matter to you in particular!

If you really want to wow them, memorize a few facts from the Y.It Matters page. Mix those facts with your own words from the heart, and people will sit up and take notice!