Contact Congress
The preferred grassroots method to advance legislation is to personally make contact with the offices of your three Members of Congress (Two U.S. Senators & One U.S. House Representative).
CONTACT THE OFFICES OF YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
- Call your three Congressional offices in Washington, DC
- Upon reaching the Congressional office front desk staff, immediately identify yourself as a local constituent of that particular Member of Congress.
- Additionally, state your connection to transplantation
- Request to speak with the Healthcare Legislative Assistant (LA);
- If unavailable, ask to leave a message for the office Healthcare LA and/or request the email address of the healthcare LA.
- Discuss, leave a voicemail, or email your three Congressional Office Healthcare Legislative Assistants (LA) using the following script:
Dear Senator/Representative [Name],
I am a local constituent of the Member of Congress and a [transplant candidate, recipient, living organ donor, deceased donor family member, transplant patient caregiver]. I am calling you today to request that [you/your boss] consider co-sponsoring the Living Donor Protection Act recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2017 by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).
House Bill H.R. 1270 (Living Donor Protection Act) seeks to strengthen & protect the rights of living organ donors. The Living Donor Protection Act would protect living organ donors and promote organ donation in three easy, low-cost ways:
- Prohibits life, disability, and long term care insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage and from charging higher premiums for living organ donors;
- Clarifies that living organ donors may use FMLA time to recover from the surgeries and procedures involved in their donation; and
- Directs HHS to update their materials on live organ donation to reflect these new protections and encourage more individuals to consider donating an organ.
The Living Donor Protection Act would directly benefit local organ transplantation and save lives within our home state. As a local constituent, I thank you in advance for your consideration of my request to cosponsor the Living Donor Protection Act. This important legislation will further remove policy barriers and disincentives for those individuals seeking to provide a lifesaving donor organ to another human being.
Please do not hesitate to contact me directly by email or telephone at [YOUR CONTACT INFO].
Respectfully,
[Name]