The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) stands with the House of Medicine and encourages you to communicate your opposition to the Senate health care reform proposal, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act. There may be a vote on the bill this week.

This bill would compromise the health care coverage of millions of people with chronic conditions. The Senate bill is unacceptable in that it would expose our most vulnerable patients to costs that would likely far exceed their ability to pay. The net effect would be loss of adequate insurance coverage for many of our patients and the downstream impact that would have on the quality and quantity of their lives. Congress must ensure that individuals currently covered are protected from becoming uninsured and takes steps toward coverage and access for all! This includes making sure that key insurance market reforms, such as coverage for pre-existing conditions and elimination of lifetime benefit caps remain intact. We must also ensure that Medicaid remains a viable and reliable program for the most vulnerable patients.

Now is the time to act - Make sure this misguided legislation does not pass in the U.S. Senate. Please contact your two U.S. Senators right now and urge them to vote NO on the so-called Better Care Reconciliation Act. It always helps to add a personal example of how your patients would be affected by attempts to reduce protections for those with pre-existing conditions. You might also encourage patients to contact their Senators with opposition to this bill.

To contact your two U.S. Senators, go to www.senate.gov. On the top left of the page there is a box with a drop-down menu called "Find Your Senators." Click on your state and the contact information (phone and email) will appear for your two Senators. All you need to do is make a quick call or send a short email to convey your opposition to the Senate bill. Thank you for taking action today!