Members of Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition

Email your U.S. Senator

Email your U.S. Representative

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How to Influence Public Policies

Many government regulations, laws and, policies impact women with heart disease. For example, Congress determines if and how much of our federal tax dollars go to fund the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for medical research on heart disease ö and if any of these funds get earmarked for research on women with heart disease. Congress can also spend our tax dollars on the following:

• heart disease prevention and education programs
• programs that increase appropriate public access to heart defibrillators
• increase timely access to new medical devices and technologies, including prompt assignment of Medicare procedure codes
• prescription drug coverage for people receiving Medicare.

Other federal laws and regulations that are important to our heart health include those that:

• discourage smoking
• promote physical exercise and nutrition education
• establish food labeling requirements and
• regulate the prescription medicine approval process.

State legislatures can also take actions that affect our access to healthcare, such as:

• establish optional mandated benefits for statewide health insurance plans, such as routine cholesterol and blood pressure screenings
• provide assistance to women with no health insurance
• influence Medicaid eligibility and its list of approved prescription medicines
• sponsor statewide public education programs and
• enact patients bill of rights, including full disclosure of benefits and increased access to specialist physicians.

And, HMOs have their own regulations, often subject to state or federal government supervision, regarding:

• which heart medicines they allow doctors to prescribe
• if and when you can see a cardiologist
• which diagnostic tests and treatments they will pay for
• if they cover cardiac rehabilitation programs
• the rights of patients to appeal medical decisions and denials of coverage and
• the rights of patients to sue for malpractice or negligence.

Women with heart disease first need to educate ourselves about the origin, nature, and scope of these laws, policies, and regulations, since they directly affect our recovery, access to quality healthcare, and quality of life.

We also need to become actively involved in shaping these same laws, policies, and regulations. When we speak out publicly, ours is powerful and credible voice. Politicians pay attention to what we have to say because we can explain how their actions personally affect us. Plus, we have no ulterior motives or hidden agendas ö we simply want to recover our health and heal our lives.

Here are several ways you can help shape these laws, policies and regulations.

• Educate yourself about public policy issues and laws. The best place to start is the ADVOCACY section of the American Heart Association web site and read about their priority issues before Congress. You can also contact your local Heart Association chapter (call 800-242-8721) to determine their priority issues before your state legislature. Better yet, join your local Heart Association chapter and become a member of its advocacy committee.
• Write to your Senators and Representative in Congress. Write a one-page letter in your own words about your personal experience with heart disease, and then urge them to support a legislative issue you care about, such as tobacco control or research funding for women and heart disease. If you are a registered voter, a long time district resident, have previously voted or campaigned for, or made campaign contributions to the lawmakers, say so in your letter.
• If you do not know who your U.S. Senators and Representative are, call your local mayor's office for this information. You may also identify your Representative through the House of Representatives' web site -- just scroll down the page, click on the "Write Your Representative" icon, and type in your Zip code.

The correct way to address you letter and envelope is:

For Senators:
The Honorable (insert name)
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator (last name):


For Representatives:
The Honorable (insert name)
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative (last name):

• You can also send an E-mail to your www.senate.gov Senator or www.house.gov Representative, or call them directly at the U.S. Capitol, 202-224-3121.
• Check and see if you Senators and Representative are members of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition. If YES, write and thank them for their support and, if NO, write and ask them to please join the Coalition.
• Contact you state Senator and House Member. Follow the same tips as above concerning issues before your state legislature. If you write a letter to your state legislator, send a copy of it to your Governor. If you don't know who your state representatives are, call your mayor's office or local Heart Association chapter.
• Numbers speak loudest. State and federal lawmakers pay most attention to letters and visits from community leaders who represent large numbers of individuals (potential voters!). Write your own personal letters, but also add you voice to your local American Heart Association chapter's efforts to influence public policies. And always mention in your letters the number of women in your state who have heart disease.
• Visit your state and federal lawmakers. They all have local offices in their home districts, so stop in and introduce yourself. If you are ever in your state capital or Washington, DC, stop in your lawmakers' offices and introduce yourself. (Also, ask to meet their senior healthcare staff who are also very influential individuals.)
• Continue to write your letters to state and federal lawmakers whenever an issue that you care about comes before your state legislature or Congress. Developing relationships with them takes time ö your lawmakers will come to rely on your support and trust you only over time.
• You many wish to join your local American Heart Association chapter's annual Lobby Day that features visits with state legislators. The chapter schedules your appointments with elected officials/senior staff, during which you can discuss your legislative positions. If you visit your legislators, remember to -
  • Keep the meetings brief, to the point, and ask the lawmakers/senior staff for specific actions to co-sponsor or oppose a bill, or cast a Yes or No vote.
  • Always be professional and courteous, and thank them for meeting with you. Never threaten, badger, or demand a commitment. And never burn your bridges -- today's opponent may be tomorrow's ally.
  • Always mention the number of women in your state who have heart disease.
  • Leave them with a one-page summary of your position. (If you ever quote facts or statistics, provide source citations and double check the facts/statistics to make sure they are correct ö lawmakers can only use information that is credible and accurate.)
  • Follow-up the visits with thank-you notes.

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2006 Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition

Founded in 1996, the bi-partisan Coalition promotes research and conducts educational events on heart disease and stroke.

109th Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition

Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID), Co-Chair
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Co-Chair
Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), Co-Chair
Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), Co-Chair

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