Urgent: Call your REP

WE NEED ALOT OF PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS IMMEDIATELY!!!! HEARINGS ARE GOING WELL BUT NOW WE NEED THE LEGISLATORS PHONES TO BE RINGING OFF THE HOOK!!! CONTACT THE PEOPLE LISTED BELOW BY PHONE AND EMAIL NO LATER THAN Thursday, March 15th by 12Noon. Please forward this to any patients and certainly also your family members who have seen what an impact these surgeries have had on your lives. We need to secure coverage for future weight loss surgery patients! Tell your story and the impact that bariatric surgery had on your health, your work and your life. We suggest that you consider emailing, or preferably call the following elected officials listed below. In fact, you should contact these persons no later than If you have had bariatric surgery, your letter should describe why you chose to have weight-reduction surgery. Compare the difference surgery made to your life, such as improved health conditions, the resultant better quality of life or the improvement of your relationships with family, friends or work. If you have not had surgery but suffer from clinically severe obesity, , you can explain the devastating effect severe obesity has had in your life, your commitment to change your life, or decision process to commit to surgery. Key Elected Officials who need to hear from you! Refer to Raised Bills 552 and 579: Senator Joe Crisco Senate Chair of Insurance Committee Telephone: 860-240-0189 Email: [email protected] Senator Christopher Murphy Senate Chair of Public Health Committee Telephone: 860-240-8600 Email: [email protected] House Representative Brian O'Connor House Chair of Insurance Committee Telephone: 860-240-8500 Email: [email protected] House Representative Peggy Sayers House Chair of Public Health Committee Telephone: 860-240-8500 Email: [email protected] House Representative Emil Altobello [email protected] 860-240-8585 House Representative Charles Clemons [email protected] 860-240-8585 House Representative Anthony D'Amelio [email protected] 860-240-8700 House Representative Stephen Dargan [email protected] 860-240-8500 Senator Louis DeLuca [email protected] 860-240-8800 House Representative Art Feltman [email protected] 860-240-8500 House Representative Steve Fontana [email protected] 860-240-0434 House Representative John Frey [email protected] 860-240-8700 House Representative John Geragosian [email protected] 860-240-8500 House Representative William Hamzy [email protected] 860-240-8700 House Representative John Harkins [email protected] 860-240-8700 Senator Joan Hartley [email protected] 860-240-8600 House Representative Shawn Johnston [email protected] 860-240-8585 House Representative Robert Megna [email protected] 860-240-8585 House Representative Craig Miner [email protected] 860-240-8700 House Representative Christopher Stone [email protected] 860-240-8585 House Representative Sean Williams [email protected] 860-240-8700

Done! I just sent an e'mail - I've never done anything "political" in my life! Best Regards, Tammy 7 Days Post Op and STARVING!!!

Thanks for including a list of names. My husband knows a couple of these people quite well through work. I'll have him contact them ASAP.

When this issue was up for legislation last year, I wrote to the "usual suspects", as well as to the Governor. Sadly, even though I threw in the supposedly-lethal phase "as a voter and a taxpayer", I heard NOTHING AT ALL back except for a reasonably pleasant and intelligent response from the governor's secretary. Tomorrow morning, WTIC radio (1080 AM) will be doing a discussion on the proposed legislation. If you're interested, it should start around 9:15 and I'll be interviewed at approximately 9:30. You can also listen online by going to wtic.com and clicking on "Listen Now." Bette

Cool Bette - I'll be tuned in!! Warm Regards, Tammy 7 Days Post Op!!

I forgot to tune it and went to the wtic site but I guess you can only listent live? I tried to find that topic heading for it but didn't see it, is it still there? How did it go? Best Regards, Tammy 8 days post op! 6 days to mushies!

I will be sending my email tonight. Thanks Amy for always keeping us up to date on the issues. Hugs KimC

I *think* Raised Bill 552 that was w/ the Insurance and Real Estate Cmte is moving on to the full General Assembly!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Insurance and Real Estate Cmte were meeting today at 10am and now the Bill Status for #552 shows "Joint Favorable Substitute" ( http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=552&which_year=2006 ). I must have slept through too many of my Government classes way back when, so I am learning as I follow these bills, but I found this. "If a committee believes a bill should be taken up by the full General Assembly, it votes to give the bill a favorable report. And because the committee is a joint (House and Senate) committee, the vote is a Joint Favorable Report. If the vote is a favorable report but with substitute language, as discussed below, the vote is a Joint Favorable Substitute." Nothing is posted yet as to what language changed... guess we'll have to wait and see. Maybe someone w/ more experience on this kinda thing can chime in here.

The Insurance and Real Estate Committee, demonstrating their on-going commitment to fair and equitable access to life-saving bariatric surgery, decided to send the General Assembly a revised bariatric insurance bill. They are recommending that a STUDY COMMITTEE be formed that will report by January of 2007 on the costs and benefits to health insurers of a bariatric surgery mandate. The bill that was favorably reported to the General Assembly was not an insurance mandate-- it was a proposal to see if we should study the cost-effectiveness of requiring coverage for bariatric surgery. Now, the fact that the increased health risks faced by the morbidly obese have been well-documented for years seems insufficient for the members of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee. After all, I guess it's just unclear that the $20,000 cost for an operation that will cure someone's GERD, sleep apnea, hypertension and type II diabetes can really be balanced by a post-op's 20-30 years worth of reduced prescription drug costs, reduced frequency of emergency room visits and reduced cost of further hospitalizations. Our last hope is that the members of the Public Health Committee will pass their equivalent of the eviscerated Insurance Committee bill (which is SB 579). If you haven't already, please write and call your representatives and senators and ask them to encourage their Public Health Committee colleagues to favorably report SB 579 out of committee and to the floor of the General Assembly.