[Peace-discuss] Add your name to petition against discriminatory pricing?

[Brooke Anderson]

Dear friends,

I have some exciting news and a very important favor to ask! In the 
next month or so, Illinois consumers have a chance to put an end to 
discriminatory pricing in health care and aggressive medical debt 
collection practices. To do this, we need your help! Right now, all 
I'm asking of you is to email me back with your permission to add 
your name to a growing list of Illinois consumers in support of 
legislation ending discriminatory pricing in health care. Please read 
on for more details and please forward this message to all of your 
friends, family, co-workers, etc.

      * DISCRIMINATORY PRICING HURTS CONSUMERS *
Right now, the 1.8 million uninsured residents of Illinois are 
charged 2-3 times more than the price charged for insured patients 
for identical health care services because hospitals give big 
discounts to large insurance companies. This practice whereby health 
care providers charge their highest prices to those patients who are 
least able to afford medical care is called discriminatory pricing 
and it is devastating the health and financial well-being of many 
people in our community.

      * SB 552 WOULD END DISCRIMINATORY PRICING *
As a result of the work that Champaign County Health Care Consumers 
(CCHCC) and other groups throughout the state, there is now 
legislation before the Illinois Senate that would end discriminatory 
pricing. It is called Senate Bill 552, the Discriminatory Pricing 
Reform Act. This legislation would prohibit hospitals from collecting 
more than the cost of services for hospital care from uninsured 
patients whose income is below 300% of the federal poverty level or 
who spend over 20% of their annual income on health care.

      * ADD YOUR NAME IN SUPPORT OF SB 552 *
CCHCC has been invited to testify about this issue next Wednesday 
(10/22/2003) in Chicago before a meeting of the Illinois Senate 
Health and Human Services Committee. This is very exciting for us! 
We're taking consumers and supporters up with us to fill the hearing 
room and to testify about their experiences. When we testify, we want 
to present to the Senate a petition with the names of hundreds of 
local consumers who support SB 552. If you would be willing to add 
your name to this list of local consumers who support SB 552, please 
email me back with the following information:

    Your name:
    Your street address:
    Your city, state, and zip code:
    Your telephone number:
    Your email address:

Thanks so much! And if you're interested in distributing petitions, 
attending the hearing in Chicago, or helping to organize a future 
hearing on the legislation right here in Champaign County, please get 
in contact with me asap: (217) 352-6533, ext. 17 or brooke at shout.net. 
Thanks!

Sincerely,
Brooke Anderson

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Brooke Anderson
Champaign County Health Care Consumers
44 E. Main St., Suite 208
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone = (217) 352-6533, x 17
Fax = (217) 352-9745
Email = brooke at shout.net
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