ACTION: FUND CHIP AND CHCF NOW

**CALL TO ACTION** 
Wednesday, January 17, 2018

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FUND CHIP AND CHCF NOW
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#FundCHIPNow
#FundCHCFNow
#Resist

In 2017 the number of Americans without health insurance increased. That number will rise if Congress doesn’t fully fund CHIP and the Community Health Center (CHC) Fund.

CHIP and CHCF funding is languishing in the Senate. The House-passed legislation offsets CHC Fund costs by cutting the grace period for paying premiums and zeroing out some health programs. As for CHIP, Republican co-author of CHIP, Sen. Orrin Hatch, claimed "we don't have money anymore." 

Now the Congressional Budget Office says that extending CHIP for ten years could save $6 billion. Rising premiums – caused by repealing ACA's individual mandate -- make CHIP cheaper to subsidize than private plans. These savings make funding CHIP and the $3.6 billion CHC Fund easy.

We must save CHIP and CHC:
• CHIP covers 9 million children and pregnant women
• CHIP has cut kids’ insurance rates in half
• The CHC Fund underwrites medically underserved communities
• The CHC Fund covers 70% of budgets for clinics on the front line of the opioid crisis

With the new CBO estimate, Congress has no excuse. They must fully fund CHIP and CHCF with no cost offsets. Let’s call to make sure they get this right.
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**ACTION 1: CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVE**
(Leave a message if you can’t get through.)

SAMPLE SCRIPT for everyone:
“My name is [--] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. The CBO has drastically reduced the cost estimate for CHIP. With this score CHIP must be reauthorized for ten years and the Community Health Center Fund must be reauthorized and fully funded for at least two years without any offsets. Please make sure there are included in the next spending bill so we can stabilize these critical pieces of our health care system."

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**ACTION 2: SHARE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY**
Share this post with friends and family. Help them leave messages for their Congessional deligation about funding CHIP and community health centers.
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**PHONE NUMBERS**

SENATOR MERKLEY 
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129

SENATOR WYDEN 
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691

CONGRESSWOMAN SUZANNE BONAMICI [D1]
DC: (202) 225-0855, OR: (503) 469-6010

CONGRESSMAN GREG WALDEN [D2]
DC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646,
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400

CONGRESSMAN EARL BLUMENAUER [D3]
DC: (202) 225-4811, OR: (503) 231-2300

CONGRESSMAN PETER DEFAZIO [D4]
DC 202-225-6416, Eugene: (541) 465-6732,
Roseburg: (541) 440-3523, Coos Bay (541) 269-2609

CONGRESSMAN KURT SCHRADER [D5]
DC: (202) 225-5711, Salem (503) 588-9100,
Oregon City (503) 557-1324