The month of August offers a great opportunity for your representatives to spend time with you, hearing directly about what issues are important to you. One issue that I know matters to all of us, and not just here in New York, is health care and the great effort we are making to increase access to quality health care for all Americans.
Just last week, we made great progress thanks to the hard work of three different House committees. There are two more committees working on this in the Senate, for a total of 5 committees furiously debating solutions to this problem. In addition to the versions of the bill approved by each of the House committees, it was also announced that Speaker Pelosi will work to offer a vote on the House floor that would replace the existing bill with H.R. 676, often called Medicare for All, which I know many of you support.
August is a critical time for all Americans to make their voices heard by their representatives in Congress. When we return from our districts in September, we will begin the difficult task of unifying the three committees’ versions into a single bill to be considered by the whole House, and to then be combined with whatever the Senate may produce.
No matter which path to health care reform you support, I encourage you to let me or your own representatives know your thoughts on this issue. In just the first few days of August, reports of corporate sponsored protests are already pouring in, and it is important that Americans who support true reform let their friends, neighbors, and elected officials know.
I hope to continue hearing from you as this debate moves forward and I will continue to use my website to share information about the evolving reform effort with all of you.
Cross-posted at www.louise.house.gov. I'm in the district today, but I will be sure to read all of your comments.