Here is an example of a letter: <br><br>The
Honorable [name of Senator or Representative] <br>(fax # or
address) <br><br>Dear Mr. [or Mrs., Ms.] [Name],
<br><br>[If you know this person is championing this bill,
you might start with something like "Thank you for
working for consumer protection in health <br>care...";
or whatever is appropriate...] <br>[who you are,
what you are writing about, and what you want done] I
am your constituent, and I am writing about the
Patients' Bill of Rights, just passed by the Senate and now
to be debated in the House. Any version of the bill
that comes up for a vote should include language that
assures access to midwifery care in all settings. For
example, this bill would be improved by <br>adding the
words "or a nationally-certified and state-regulated
midwife, as the individual's maternity care provider" to
the following section of the bill: <br><br>SEC.
XX104. ACCESS TO SPECIALTY CARE <br>(a)(1)(A )the plan
or issuer shall permit such an individual who is a
female to designate a participating physician who
specializes in obstetrics and gynecology as the individual's
primary care provider OR A NATIONALLY-CERTIFIED AND
STATE-REGULATED MIDWIFE, AS THE INDIVIDUAL'S <br>MATERNITY CARE
PROVIDER; and ... <br><br>[a factoid or two] Nurse-midwives
practice in all 50 states, and 18 states also license
certified professional midwives. Midwifery care has been
proven over and over to be safe, effective, cost-saving,
and satisfying, whether practiced in hospitals, birth
centers or at home. HMOs should include midwives as a
choice for maternity care, but the current language of
the bill does not mention midwives at all. <br><br>[a
personal angle] Fifteen years ago my husband and I had to
pay out-of-pocket to have our baby at home with a
nurse-midwife. Even though this <br>midwife-attended birth cost
much less than having our baby in the hospital would
have cost, our insurance plan would not pay. With all
the focus on reducing the costs of healthcare, surely
HMOs should be encouraging women to use midwives in
the setting of their choice (in or out of the
hospital). <br><br>[repeat what you want done] Increasing
numbers of pregnant women want the safe, healthy choice
of midwifery care, whether in hospital, birth center
or at home, and HMOs should make this option
available. Please make sure the Patients' Bill of Rights
includes language assuring that HMOs must offer the
Midwives Model of Care - the option of choosing a midwife
for maternity care. <br><br>Sincerely, <br>[your
name] <br>[your home address, phone number, e-mail,
somewhere on the letter, whether <br>e-mailed or faxed]