Alert: Celebrating Women's Health and Other Opportunities

Dear Partners,

As evidenced by your efforts during the ACA anniversary celebrations and the Supreme Court oral arguments, effective public education about health reform is one of the most important things we can do to make the law a success. But while the ACA continues to be attacked in Congress and pundits debate the (hypothetical) rulings of the Supreme Court, we know there are even more opportunities on the horizon to raise awareness about how the law is benefiting Americans. Today we want to highlight some of those upcoming events and opportunities.

Education Opportunities

Women
Women and their families have a lot to gain from the Affordable Care Act, and the more they know about it, the more they like it. We expect that issues surrounding women's health will continue to be in the news in the coming months. Countdown to Coverage Campaign is a new campaign by Raising Women's Voices to help women understand the concrete ways the ACA helps women make huge strides in improving their health. The Countdown to Coverage website provides a range of resources, including a Top Ten list of ways women benefit from the ACA, "Coverage Checklists" for different audiences of women and a tip sheet for writing blogs about health reform and women's health. The Countdown to Coverage Campaign has great material for advocates and consumers alike and we encourage you to check it out.

Also, May is a great time to educate women and promote the law with Mother's Day (May 13), National Women's Health Week (May 13 - 19) and the 10^th annual National Women's Check-up Day (May 14). National Women's Check-up Day is dedicated to encouraging women to visit their health care professionals to receive or schedule checkups, and to promote regular checkups as vital to the early detection of conditions such as heart disease, cancer and more.

Young Adults
As graduations approach, think about using the Young Invincibles' toolkit that provides state specific coverage information as well as resources related to student health plans, staying on a parent's plan, and assistance for individuals with pre-existing conditions. It also has tips for young women and other important information for young adults. Go here to download the toolkit.

Ongoing Efforts
Letters to the editor of local and community based papers remain a great way to get the word out about the ACA and by tying it to a story, an opportunity to share the experiences of how the law is helping real people. We encourage you to carry on the energy generated by March Madness and the ACA Anniversary LTE Challenge. See some samples from our winners for some more inspiration!  

Thank you for your continued advocacy,

Community Catalyst Implementation Team