Both the U.S.  House of Representatives and Congress have passed healthcare bills.  They are now in negotiation to merge the two bills into one single bill to be presented to each House for approval.  There are still a number of issues to be resolved.  Your Senators and Representatives, as well as the Congressional Leadership need to hear your opinions on them.

This is an issue that affects every American, wherever you live.  Below are a list of some of the open questions. 

• Will overseas Americans be required to buy into health insurance which doesn't cover them in their country of residence or if they already have complete health coverage where they live?
• Conversely, will overseas Americans who currently don't have access to health coverage where they live, be able to purchase coverage in the States which is valid in their place of residence?
• Will women have the right to insurance which covers reproductive choices?
• Will there be a public option?
• Will states opt in or opt out?

The House Healthcare Bill, Full Text

HR 3200 (PDF)- 1017 pages
‘‘America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009’’.

The Letter from Washington by Tom Fina, Executive Director Emeritus of Democrats Abroad, outlines the current status and content of both bills on December 31,2009, the stakes, and the strategies of both parties in terms of healthcare and elections.

More Sources:

Democrats Abroad Heallth Insurance Reform Group

Healthcare Reform Packet by Beverly Bandler

Healthcare Reality Check

Side by Side Comparison of Major Reform Proposals by Kaiser Family Foundation

League of Women Voters of the U.S (non-partison)

• Background papers, voter-ready
  articles. Supports Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. (House of
  Rep.) 

• League of Women Voters Take Action Section

Health Care for America Now!

Petition created by Senators Dick Durbin, Patrick Leahy, Chuck Schumer:  Citizens for Real Health Care Reform and a Public Option. 

History of Healthcare, starting with Teddy Roosevelt:
Mears, Walter R. "Analysis: Health care debate a long-running story." Associated Press, 2009-08-12

Healthcare Around the World

Democrats living in countries with universal coverage are encouraged to explain how those systems work so
as to give the American public a greater range of choices in
understanding what can be improved in the American system and what pitfalls to avoid.  If you are living in the States and therefore, not
a member of Democrats Abroad, we encourage you to visit these sites in order to see how wide a variety of solutions exist to building a better system in the United States of America.  We are the only highly industrialized western nation in which people go bankrupt and lose their homes because of medical costs. 

OECD Healthcare Quality Indicators Project

The HCQI Project will eventually represent the largest effort, in terms
of number of quality indicators and number of countries, to assess
international health care quality that has ever been undertaken.

Democrats Abroad Japan Healthcare Project

• Healthcare Mythbuster videos

Healthcare Stories from Americans in Canada

• Americans in Canada Can't Go Home Healthcare Video

UK Health System Fights Back. NHS  Says it's tired of lies by U.S. Critics. CBS

In Sick Around the World, PBS FRONTLINE teams up with veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid to find out how five other capitalist democracies -- the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland -- deliver health care, and what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures.

 Opinion Articles:

Holland, Joshua. 10 Awesome Things That Would Happen If Health Reform Passes. Alternet.org, 2009-08-14.

Michael Moore's documentary investigation into the health insurance
industry, healthcare in the United States, and healthcare in other
countries:    SICKO
(after 70 minutes, stop and wait 2 hours and/or reload).

Personal Guidelines to contacting Congress on Healthcare Reform by Beverly Bandler

Levey, Noam N. "Sorting out claims about healthcare legislation. How would an overhaul really affect senior citizens? Abortion funding? Illegal immigrants?" Los Angeles Times, 2009-08-10.

The View from the Medical Profession

• 450,000 Doctors can't be Wrong Video 

• Heal Healthcare Now

What you can do!

We encourage everyone to contact Congress  and urge effective legislation now!

• U.S. House of Representatives official website
  

• U.S. Senate official website

Sample Healthcare Letter