Connecticut Coalition for Universal Health Care   

However, another legislative committee is interested in sponsoring a special subject matter public hearing on single payer, universal health care in September, 2001. This will give us a chance to invite excellent people to testify and to lobby legislators, commissioners, health care advocacy groups and health care organizations to make sure that they attend. Properly conducted it could represent a good opportunity to educate public officials and the health care community, mobilize public opinion, and plan a meaningful strategy to get the bill heard and passed in the future. We welcome your input in planning this.

Our bill, PHB 5872 --The Connecticut Health Care Security Act-- has been introduced to the Connecticut legislature by Representatives:

What you can do:  It is especially important that any of you who live in their districts or who know them, to please thank them for their support in co-sponsoring this bill. 

What happens now?
Now that the has been introduced and sent to the Public Health Committee for consideration, the Public Health Committee must raise the bill for a public hearing by February 8th, otherwise the bill is dead. The first step for getting a public hearing is to get both co-chairs of the committee to agree to put the public hearing on the agenda.  The senate co-chair, Toni Harp, will probably be agreeable; however, house co-chair, Mary Eberle, will probably not be agreeable.  We need a show massive support from the public in support of raising this bill. It is thus imperative that every person write letters in support of this bill to every member of the public health committee and to the democratic leadership of both houses.

What you can do:  Write letters in support of this bill to every member of the public health committee and to the democratic leadership of both houses. We need at least 100 letters to every member of the committee to have a reasonable chance of having the bill raised. 1000 letters to every committee member will assure that the bill will be raised.  The addresses (including email) of the Public Health Committee and the Democratic House/Senate Leadership are located here.