You can also call Rep. Hageman’s office in Washington, D.C.:
(202) 225-2311
OVERVIEW
Congress is attempting to cut $880 billion from the federal budget to pay for tax breaks that benefit the richest people and corporations in America.
In order to make those cuts, Congress will need to decrease funding for Medicaid and/or Medicare.
The specific proposed cuts would block people in Wyoming from accessing the healthcare program and result in less funding for our healthcare system—especially in rural parts of the state.
The proposal is currently in the U.S. House, which will vote as early as next week on the cuts. The Senate will address the same proposals later this summer.
STRATEGY: NUMBERS MATTER
When it comes to contacting Rep. Hageman, numbers matter—arguments really don’t.
Rep. Hageman will not personally read your email or listen to your call. Instead, her interns will tally up the number of messages they receive opposing cuts to Medicaid and report those back to her.
Do not spend 20 minutes crafting your email. Instead, spend 5 minutes writing it and 15 minutes sending this link to other people in Wyoming asking them to speak up.
https://betterwyo.org/no-medicaid-cuts
A NATIONAL EFFORT
We are not alone in Wyoming. Across the nation, and especially in rural states, residents are contacting their representatives in opposition to these healthcare cuts.
Your voice is part of a nationwide chorus speaking up to all members of Congress. Even if you feel like Rep. Hageman will ignore you personally, she and other rural lawmakers will not be able to ignore the huge numbers of voices speaking up together from across rural America against these harmful proposals.
YOUR MESSAGE
Keep it simple. Your message should contain three short parts.
1. Who you are: My name is ______. I’m a Wyoming voter and I live in _______.
2. What you want: I am writing/calling Rep. Hageman today to let her know that I oppose any of the proposed funding cuts for Medicaid.
3. Why you want it: Include a few (brief!) lines about why you think Medicaid is important.
TALKING POINTS
Everyone in Wyoming benefits from Medicaid.
Funding from Medicaid supports our hospitals and health clinics, especially in rural parts of Wyoming. Cutting Medicaid funding risks decreasing services or even closing facilities.
Wyoming Medicaid directly serves those who really need it.
In order to qualify for Wyoming Medicaid, a person needs not only to be low-income, but they also must have another “qualifying condition,” such as being blind, disabled, pregnant, a new mother, a child, or a senior citizen.
The proposed cuts grow government.
Several of the proposed funding cuts require increased paperwork for Medicaid recipients and increased bureaucracy in our state to administer the program. We don’t need Washington, D.C., forcing more government on us.
Cutting Medicaid increases healthcare costs for us all.
When people lose Medicaid, they still get sick and injured. But instead of having insurance coverage, they go to the hospital emergency room for care. Since they cannot afford to pay, these costs are passed on to us all, raising the price of healthcare for everyone in Wyoming.
Read more about Medicaid in Wyoming and the potential impact of cuts on this Healthy Wyoming fact sheet
SHARE THIS LINK
No matter how passionate or reasonable your individual argument, that’s not what is going to make an impact.
Only sheer numbers have the ability to shake members of Congress’ confidence that they can get away with these harmful cuts.