If your Senator is getting grief for today's Senate vote:

[madamesilverspurs]

An Open Letter to the United States Senate from 180 Organizations Representing Tens of Millions of Americans

Dear Senators:
Thanks to the tireless work of our President, our House and Senate leaders, and advocates around the country, the health reform bill signed into law achieves a milestone on behalf of the health and wellbeing of the American people. Beginning immediately, small businesses will no longer have to choose between providing health insurance and hiring another worker and parents will not have to fight insurance company bureaucrats to treat their children’s preexisting illnesses. As reform reaches full implementation, not only will 32 million more Americans gain insurance, but Medicare’s life will be extended and the country’s fiscal condition will improve with more than one trillion dollars in deficit reduction.

Important improvements to the health care reform package and to the student loan program are included in H.R.4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act. This bill will make health insurance even more affordable for families, close the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole, and increase federal support for Medicaid programs. It will also end wasteful subsidies in the student loan program and use the savings to give more young people the opportunity to attend college by increasing Pell grants to nearly $6,000, making them available to more students, and making important investments in minority serving institutions and community colleges. Many of these ideas were advanced with bipartisan support.

We ask every Senator to support this bill without amendment. A no on amendments is a yes on health care and college affordability.
AFLCIO
AIDS Action Baltimore
AIDS Action Council
Alliance for Children and Families
AltaMed Health Services Corporation
American Association for International Aging
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Counseling Association
American Diabetes Association
American Family Voices
American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
AFSCME District Council 36
AFSCME Local 3090
AFSCME WI
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
AFTWisconsin
American Hospice Foundation
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
American Medical Women’s Association
American Network of Community Options and Resources
American Nurses Association
American Podiatric Medical Association
American Public Health Association
Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.
Americans United for Change
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Association for Community Affiliated Plans
Association for the Advancement of Psychology
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
Autism Society
Bailey House – New York, NY
Black Women's Health Imperative
BluewaveNJ
Breast Cancer Network of Strength
California Labor Federation
California Partnership
California School Employees Association, AFLCIO
California Women’s Agenda (CAWA)
Campaign for America’s Future
Campaign for Community Change
Campus Progress Action
Catholic Health Association of the United States
Catholics United
Center for Adolescent Health & the Law
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York
Center for Medicare Advocacy
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Center
Change That Works
Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)
Citizen Action of Wisconsin
Citizens for Tax Justice
Coalition of Labor Union Women
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Community Access National Network
Community Action Partnership
Community Catalyst
Community Service Society of New York
Consumer Action
Consumers’ CHECKBOOK/Center for the Study of Services
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Democracia Ahora
Demos: A Network for Ideas & Action
Direct Care Alliance
Doctors for America
Easter Seals
Every Child Matters Education Fund
Families USA
Family Violence Prevention Fund
Feminist Majority Foundation
Future Majority
Generations United
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and The Gloria Dei Step Up Center
Harm Reduction Coalition
Health Access California
Health Care For All
Health Care for America Now
Health Professionals and Allied Employees/AFT
HIV Medicine Association
Human Rights Campaign
Institute of Social Medicine & Community Health
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Women International
Latinos for National Health Insurance
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Maine Center for Economic Policy
Malecare
Maternity Care Coalition
Mental Health America
Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFLCIO
MomsRising
MontanaWyoming Tribal Leaders Council
MoveOn.org
NAACP
NARAL ProChoice America
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Alliance for Caregiving
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State LongTerm Care Ombudsman Programs
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Center on Caregiving, Family Caregiver Alliance
National Coalition for LGBT Health
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Congress of the American Indians
National Consumers League
National Council of Urban Indian Health
National Education Association (NEA)
National Foundation for Mental Health
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Health Law Program
National Hispanic Council on Aging
National Indian Health Board
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Physicians Alliance
National Physicians Alliance NY
National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness (NPACH)
National Senior Citizens Law Center
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
National Women's Law Center
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
NDN
New Yorkers for Accessible Health Care
North Carolina State AFLCIO
One Wisconsin Now
Opinion Leaders Advocacy Network
Out With Cancer – The LGBT Cancer Project
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National
People For the American Way
PHI Health Care for Health Care Workers
Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH)
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Progressive Future
Progressive Maryland
Progressive States Network
Project Community, Inc.
Project Inform
Raising Women’s Voices
RESULTS
Rock the Vote
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
1199 SEIU
32BJ SEIU
SEIU PA State Council
SEIU United Service Workers West
Sisters of Mercy Institute Justice Team
Small Business Majority
Society for Adolescent Medicine
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
The Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare
The Campaign for College Affordability
The Main Street Alliance
U.S Public Interest Research Group
Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry Action Network, CA
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
United Neighborhood Centers of America
United Spinal Association
United States Student Association
USAction
Volunteers of America
WADI
Western Regional Advocacy Project
Wider Opportunities for Women
Wisconsin Council on Physical Disabilities
Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, AFT, AFLCIO
Women of Reform Judaism
Working America
Working Families Win
Young Democrats of America
Young Invincibles
Young People First

[frazzled]

1. OFA is going to be holding 'thank you' parties for legislators next week

Or so I heard at a strategy meeting last night. Watch for one near you soon.