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Change that Works: "Tweets" about health care target Sen. Grassley
6/8/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, June 8, 2009

Contact: Andrew Mertens

319.759.7088

*Change that Works / SEIU “Tweets” Sen. Grassley 24 hours of Health Care Stories*

Change that Works Iowa launched a Twitter health care story blast this morning at 10:00 am. The group will hit Senator Grassley’s Twitter account with one compelling Iowa health care story per hour, for 24 hours. The action will continue until 9:00 am on Tuesday the 9th. Stories are being distributed on Twitter through traditional posts from “CTWIowaSEIU” (which Senator Grassley follows), and through direct messages to the Senator’s username, “ChuckGrassley.”

The campaign, Change that Works, is a project of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). SEIU is the nation’s largest union of health care workers, and has worked in Iowa and across the country since 2002 to enact meaningful health care reform.

The timing for this Twitter action corresponds with the week Change that Works anticipates Senator Grassley’s Finance Committee will take additional action on a comprehensive health care reform bill. The purpose is to lobby Senator Grassley’s support for reform during this critical legislative week using his favorite medium, Twitter.

Due to the volume constraints of Twitter (you can only post 140 characters at a time), each new hourly story post will act as a teaser and link to the full story, which will be posted on our website ( http://www.seiu.org/changethatworks/Iowa)

The theme of the stories is Iowans who’ve faced the barrier of private insurance and high health care costs. These are important stories for Senator Grassley to hear, as he makes his final decisions on what details of reform he’ll ultimately support. (e.g. – whether to compromise on a public option).

“Senator Grassley has compiled an impressive record of supporting the health care needs of Iowans. But Senator Grassley and the Finance Committee is just days away from drafting a new health care reform bill and the Senator has yet to reach a compromise on an absolutely essential aspect of reform – creating a public health insurance option available to all Americans. Our hope is that reading these health care stories throughout the day will be a reminder to Senator Grassley that the private health insurance industry has failed Iowans time and time again. It’s time to give private insurers some real competition, for the sake of all Iowans,” said Cathy Glasson, president of SEIU Local 199.

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