Millions of lives and 1/6 of the American economy are dependent on healthcare. This issue should not be about political games. Everyone deserves the best chance at living a healthy life.

“A person who sees his friend taking the wrong path must tell him … Whoever could have rebuked but fails to do so is considered responsible for the wrongdoing, because he passed up his opportunity [to say something].” — Maimonides Rep. Raskin, Some of us are constituents in the 8th district who elected you to Congress last year, based on a three-term track record as a fiercely progressive state legislator. Some are grassroots progressive leaders from across the State of Maryland who look to you as a critically important moral leader during these challenging times. All of us are proud of the reputation you’ve already established on Capitol Hill over the last six months as a strong voice for our shared values. We’re writing because late last week, state Senator Bobby Zirkin, your former colleague, announced that you will be headlining a fall fundraiser for his campaign for re-election to the Maryland legislature (http://bit.ly/2w3OB6J). This endorsement is clearly very meaningful to Senator Zirkin; at a recent speaking engagement with constituents at Chizuk Amuno Congregation, for example, he mentioned you by name at least half a dozen times. We certainly don’t blame you for staying in touch with former colleagues or for maintaining friendships with people with whom you do not always agree. And we’re mindful — and grateful — that Sen. Zirkin co-sponsored and championed the successful campaign to ban fracking in Maryland this year. That said, Senator Zirkin should be hearing a private rebuke from his friend in Congress right now — and not a public endorsement. Over and over again, as the chair of the powerful Judicial Proceedings Committee, Sen. Zirkin has actively undermined work for equity and justice throughout Maryland. Just in the most recent legislative session: • Sen. Zirkin led the fight against paid sick leave, and was one of just four Democrats who voted against the bill in the state senate. He also consistently put corporate interests ahead of workers' interests in his actions advancing amendments to water down the legislation. • Sen. Zirkin, the largest Maryland recipient of 2016 campaign contributions from the bail bond industry, pushed a bill in Committee and again on the floor that would have restored cash bail, a system that disproportionately incarcerates black Marylanders before trial who are simply too poor to make bail. Sen. Zirkin kept advocating for the legislation even after the Attorney General described it as “dangerous,” after the entire Legislative Black Caucus voted to oppose it, and after the House of Delegates had dropped it entirely. • And finally, Sen. Zirkin did not stand with our state’s immigrant and Muslim communities — who feel particularly targeted right now — in their interactions with Maryland law enforcement. The TRUST Act, which died in Sen. Zirkin’s committee, would have prevented local Maryland jails from honoring “detainers” — unconstitutional requests by federal immigration agents to keep people in jail without a warrant. It also would have included a provision to prohibit Maryland from implementing a Muslim registry. On the final day of the legislative session, the Latino Caucus' chair Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk did not mince words: “Sen. Bobby Zirkin, shame on you! You played with us. You killed the bill. You amended it to another bill. You held it on the floor on [the last day of session]. You knew what you were doing. Shame on you!” Rep. Raskin, we know these positions aren’t who you are. But your headlining this campaign event will surely give the impression that Sen. Zirkin, like you, has a strong track record of progressive leadership in Maryland, and is an ally to those who are working to resist the Trump agenda. And Sen. Zirkin seems eager to publicize that misimpression. Sen. Zirkin must answer to all of us, and especially his own constituents, about why he did not stand as an ally to the Legislative Black Caucus, the Latino Caucus, or working families last session, and chose to focus instead on championing unpopular positions aligned with business interests. He must explain why his biggest concern, according to this fundraiser invitation, is that our discourse is “overly partisan,” rather than understanding, as you do, that the Trump administration’s attacks on basic freedoms transcend conventional politics and place our communities of color at particular peril. Rep. Raskin, you’ve spoken powerfully since January about the mandate we have at this time to fight for our values, and to be crystal clear about who we are. Your public endorsement of Sen. Zirkin at this time obscures the clarity we need to move forward in Maryland. Sen. Zirkin has some explaining to do to his constituents, and to all of us in Maryland, about the role he has decided to play in obstructing racial justice and worker protections. If you continue to provide Sen. Zirkin with progressive “cover” he does not deserve, blunting the rebuke he needs to hear from all of us, then you will have some explaining to do, too.

Senators Hatch and Lee voted for health care bills that if enacted would cause between 16 and 32 million Americans to lose health insurance coverage. According to the LA Times that will result in the deaths of 28,000 to 100,000 people per year. My Granddaughters would be covered by the Medicaid expansion if Utah had accepted it. We need elected representatives that are not callous.

Every member of my immediate family and most of my extended family as well as millions of others will be adversely affected if the health care repeal bill Senator Sullivan voted for were to become law. If Senator Sullivan really wants to improve the Affordable Care Act then he should stop blindly following the Republican leadership and help develop a realistic approach to improving health care that is feasible and benefits those who elected him.

Yes, of course I would be affected by the ACA repeal. I am one of the millions of Texans who, even though I work and have insurance, would have had my own insurance premiums go up as a result of my senators votes to repeal the ACA. Not to mention, I would stand a good chance of my own insurance going back to the old days of making me pay more because now I will be considered a "high risk" with a "pre-existing condition", and I know you guys will be the beneficiaries of the ensuing insurance lobbyists contributions as a result! Just remember, that is MY money that I worked hard to earn, that you just voted to take away from me and other Texans! Just remember that, because I'm going to make sure all my Texans friends realize that too!

Healthcare for people.

I could lose my coverage under Trumpcare, meaning treatment my daughter learning disability would decline in quality. I will not stand for this and will fight until I am blue in the face to make sure our SC residents are properly represented.

Doald Trump just signed an Executive Order that could open protected areas of our ocean to oil drilling. If Big Oil is allowed to drill in our oceans, it will be only a matter of time before the next oil disaster! We need your help to stop Trump's plan. Tell your Senators: Stop Trump from allowing oil drilling in protected areas of our ocean!

Last month, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order threatening Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monument with fossil fuel development. The Department of the Interior is accepting public comments on whether to let Big Oil destroy Bears Ears. So we need you to speak up NOW and help save this special place! Tell the Department of the Interior: NO fossil fuel development in Bears Ears!

This is a defining moment for your Senators. Will they fight back in the face of corruption? Will they stand up to Trump? Or will they let him run roughshod over our core governing principles while they stand by and do nothing? If people like you stay silent, your Senators will cave to their political instincts, and Trump will get away with attacking our system of government. So we need you to demand that they defend our democracy from Trump’s worst authoritarian instincts. Tell your Senators to call for an independent investigation into Trump's ties to Russia!

THIS IS MY STORY: I am a recently medically retired Family Nurse Practitioner with a near 30-year career working with my hometown's community and other tribal hospital organizations. Had I not worked with the indigenous populations of America I would have been serving the veterans or military. My work is for the underserved populations of our nation. The affordable and socially responsible healthcare debate has been breaking my heart for years. It is apparent to me that Americans cannot reach a consensus on this issue. Some of the very valid reasons are that we don’t want our choices limited and we don’t want the government deciding what healthcare provider we can see or how much we will be taxed for the Medicare for All type plan. Because my health insurance dropped me due to my lost employment, I had to seek out an alternative. I did an online search for low-cost clinics in the Tucson, AZ area and found one that is trying a membership or cooperative type business model to provide services to people like me. I compared what it has been costing me to have my healthcare needs addressed by a poorly run family clinic organization. My insurance copay was $20/visit to my primary care provider and for a specialist, it was $40/visit. My last visit to a specialist ended up costing me more because they wanted a chest x-ray that would cost me $1000 and I was attempting physical therapy at $50/visit for awhile too. The list of medical expenses goes on to include medication prices that were ridiculous for an uninsured person to try to meet. Enter my first visit to the membership driven clinic and my new medical home. I have received astoundingly better healthcare that is specific to my needs for much, much less than paying insurance or taxes. For my demographic, I pay $75/month for unlimited access to my provider. I can call, text, email and so on. My provider listened to my history and worked with me to come up with a plan that fit me as an individual. She respects my opinion as a nursing professional which is something I didn’t have at my previous clinic. She ordered the chest x-ray that ended up costing me only $35. My medications? Wholesale prices. I get the medications I need for pennies on the dollar. Now, imagine what we could do with this type of business plan across America and for more than a family practice clinic. As healthcare consumers, we should be using our power to drive the insurance companies and government out of our healthcare. In a nonprofit system, we would have more choices, more affordability, more mobility, better patient/provider interactions, beliefs preserving (for the pro-life/pro-choice populations) and more. There is so much more we could be doing for people using this valid system that has been under funded, under promoted and largely ignored. You can look at the information provided in this link from the Alliance for Advancing Nonprofit Health Care and look through the resources for some good information. http://nonprofithealthcare.org/ You can also go to the discussion group I've created on Facebook to see what else I have found. https://www.facebook.com/groups/278503785960711/ The infrastructure exists. The laws need to change in order to bolster the systems and remove for profit industry from holding sway over our nation's health and economic and national security. This is what I want to discuss. This is something that is working for me and I want to share it with others so that we might find some decent leverage with the corporations and government. Thanks for reading! Karen McLane FNP-BC Retired

ACA for all, or ACA for none. It's that simple. While Congress is trying to strip taxpayers of Medicaid, it's only fair to strip them of their health care. We get ACA. They get ACA. We don't get affordable care. They don't deserve affordable care.