“Wow, look at all the people,” she exclaimed.

“Oh, does that seem like a big crowd to you?” I asked, having been in much larger crowds the few times I marched in D.C. for other causes.

“Mom, they’re invading our Capitol!”

Supporting Meredith’s impression, an article in The Hill, referred to us as a “horde!”  Meredith definitely felt like the health care activists were omnipresent that day, even though, as far as I know, no one actually descended on Representative Braley’s office! We extended the lines to get through security at the House office buildings out to the streets. (And it was hot! Sorry, people who work there!) We filled the elevators. When we stopped for a much needed snack at the Longworth House Office building, the line at the snack shop went way down the hall. People who work in those offices really noticed us, and asked what we were about. Apparently, the corporate lobbyists they are used to seeing, travel in smaller packs (which they make up for by bringing bigger gifts, I suppose).

We came from Iowa (roughly thirty of us) and every other state to tell our Senators and Representatives that we want quality, affordable health care for all – now! And we made a strong push for the public plan option, as the best means of reining in the cost of health insurance by having an efficient, good quality health care plan run by the government (like Medicare) to compete with the private insurance companies. I came with the Change That Works (SEIU) group, but other unions, HCAN (Health Care for America Now), and faith groups (like Quad Cities Interfaith) also sent citizen-activists to lobby.

The Iowa group had probably twenty-five people cram into Representative Tom Latham’s office, and considering the size of the group everyone did an excellent job of making their points by drawing on their personal experiences.

One gentleman from the other side of the state owns a small business and has provided health insurance for his employees for years. A few days before going on this trip he got a notice from his health insurance company that they were raising his rates by eighty percent! It would cost $2000 a month for a family plan, and that was with a $4000 deductible. Besides business people and union members, we had a chiropractor, at least three M.D.’s, and many nurses.

We also visited Representative Dave Loebsack, Representative Leonard Boswell (we talked to his health care policy person, a sharp young woman, since the Congressman had to go vote), the Senate Finance Committee Republican staff, and Senator Tom Harkin (we just said “hi”, as we pulled him out of a committee meeting on… health care reform!).

For those of you keeping score at home, Representatives Loebsack and Boswell (and of course, Braley) are with us on the public plan option, and the House has a draft bill that includes it. It would be nice to call or email them to thank them. Meredith told me all the calls on “cap-and-trade” were from those opposed to the bill, and it was hard to take all those people yelling at her. So don’t let the offices hear only from the other side. And it wouldn’t hurt to call and thank Senator Harkin as well. While he has been supportive, the public plan option is in extreme jeopardy in the Senate.

Representative Latham is against a public plan option. I hope to get more details from his office as to why and write about that later.  But he could obviously use some calls. And of course, Senator Grassley was on television saying we need to make sure there is no public plan option, about the same time as his Republican Finance Committee staffers were telling us it was still on the table. At one of the rallies on Wednesday I wrote my third letter to Senator Grassley on the issue. If you’ve only called or written once, please try again. Sigh.