New media and online social networks are making it easier than ever to make a difference in the fight for quality, affordable health care coverage.
In April, Senator Chuck Grassley held a tweet-up in Des Moines, a town hall-style event with his local constituents and followers on Twitter. In early May, Sen. Grassley also used Twitter to reach out to the people of Iowa to solicit their thoughts on the Senate Finance Committee's proposals to improve our health care system.
This weekend, Sen. Grassley made news on Twitter yet again with a controversial pair of "tweets" he sent early Sunday morning, criticizing President Obama's call for lawmakers to begin delivering on health care reform while overseas honoring D-Day in France. From @ChuckGrassley:
Today, SEIU's Change That Works Iowa campaign will feature compelling health care stories of everyday Iowans who have struggled because of a lack of quality, affordable health care--one new health care story per hour, for 24 hours (until 9 a.m. on Tuesday). The stories will be blasted from Twitter, as well as posted on the Change that Works Iowa blog. Every hour, on the hour, a new story will be featured to show the real face of the health care struggle to persuade Sen. Grassley that quality, affordable health care needs to be available to every Iowan and every American.
"[...] Senator Grassley and the Finance Committee is just days away from drafting a new health care reform bill and the Senator has yet to reach a compromise on an absolutely essential aspect of reform--creating a public health insurance option available to all Americans. Our hope is that reading these health care stories throughout the day will be a reminder to Senator Grassley that the private health insurance industry has failed Iowans time and time again. It's time to give private insurers some real competition, for the sake of all Iowans," said Cathy Glasson, president of SEIU Local 199.
Sen. Grassley says using new forms of communication like Twitter allows him to hear from an even wider range of constituents on issues. Today, we encourage you to join us and participate in one of the most important conversations of our times: how to resolve our health care crisis. Let Sen. Grassley know via Twitter that we need a bipartisan consensus to reform our system and make quality, affordable health care available to everyone--not just the wealthy.
Tweet Senator Grassley your views on health care: http://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley
>> 24 Hours of Healthcare: Each new hourly story will be updated on the Change That Works Iowa blog here, so check back often.
>> Follow Change That Works Iowa on Twitter (Senator Grassley does!) at http://twitter.com/CTWIowaSEIU
