In March of 2010, the US enacted the largest healthcare reform in a century: the Affordable Care Act. Since then, Texas leaders have had every opportunity and reason to expand Medicaid eligibility and cover nearly one million Texas who have no other affordable healthcare options. But our lawmakers repeatedly refused to do so for purely political reasons.
How do we overcome that? By raising our voices together and making sure Texas leaders know their constituents are counting on them to fix our healthcare system. We created this resource to help you do just that. Postcard parties are a fun and effective way to grab lawmakers' attention. Your messages will remind your representatives why they were elected, remind them Texans still want healthcare reform, and help sway anyone who's on the fence about publicly supporting policies like Medicaid expansion.
This affects all of us. Decades of research show that Medicaid expansion benefits our health, supports our health systems, and strengthens our economy.
We pay millions in federal taxes that fund Medicaid expansion in 40 other states but don't come back to Texas. By expanding Medicaid, Texas brings in federal dollars that could help our hospitals keep their doors open, help keep local taxes down, and connect one million of our neighbors to health care.
Several studies have shown that people living in states without Medicaid expansion suffer from worse health outcomes, die from treatable illnesses, and take on more medical debt.
Plan Your Postcard Party
We made a toolkit to make it easy for you to host a successful Postcard Party, with everything from a planning checklists to printable postcards, from sample messages to social media posts.
Your Checklist
What If I Can't Host At Home?
Postcard parties can happen anywhere! You can host one at a friend's house, at a park, at your local library, in a coffee shop, or in a community center.
Your Invitations
Here are a few ways you can invite people:
- Create a Facebook event
- Email an invitation out
- Send a group text
- Call or text your friends to follow up on your FB invitation or email
- Ask your friends to invite other friends
- Invite your neighbors by posting a flyer at local businesses and community centers
Hi [guest name]!
I am hosting a postcard party to write to our legislators about why they should support Medicaid Expansion in Texas. Our legislators should hear directly from us because they are supposed to represent our voices in government. I would love it if you could join me! The party will be on [date] starting at [time] at [location]. [if there will be refreshments provided, say that here or make it a potluck style!]
I also created a Facebook event, so you can invite others if you like: [insert Facebook link]
I hope you can come, and looking forward to hearing from you soon!
[Your name]
Make Your Postcards
Materials:
- Cardstock paper (for the postcards)
- Stamps (the post office has postcard stamps, which are cheaper than standard stamps!)
- Access to a printer
- Pens, pencils, markers
- Food and drinks (optional)
These supplies can easily be found at your local craft store or big box store. If you don't have a printer, your local library should have one open to the public for use!
We have postcard designs for you to download! All you have to do is print them out. Here's how to make sure they look great:
Step 1: Check the printer settings.
- Print at 100% - do not scale to fit or shrink to fit
- Some photo printing inkjets may require you set the paper supply to BORDERLESS 8.5’ x 11”
- Some photo printing inkjets may require you to TURN OFF “Expansion” settings (this is what allows for photographs to be printed without borders by stretching the file -- you DO NOT want this)
Step 2: Check the direction your printer prints.
- Put a small dot on one side so you can test to see how the paper runs through your printer. If you put a mark on the paper at the top, and it prints out with the mark at the bottom, then the marked side is Page 2 and the unmarked side is Page 1.
Step 3: Print the postcards.
- There is a backside for each card file. Be sure to print both sides! The back side has the address field and trim lines to know where to cut out each postcard.
- It’s best to print the front and back pages in separate passes. Print only the page with the designs by selecting the “range” of pages — NOT “All”. The default usually prints the back side of the card upside down, so it is best to feed the paper through twice for better control.
- For video instructions: check out this YouTube video showing how to manually print on both sides.
This is your time to shine!! Let the recipient of your postcard know why YOU support Medicaid expansion. We've included plenty of data to use in your message, but we also encourage you to share your own health experience or speak about why this issue is so important to you. Here are some sample prompts to help you get started:
Dear [fill in the state rep, gov or lt gov],
My name is [your name] and I am your constituent.
- I support Medicaid expansion because...
- I’m fighting for healthcare justice because…
- If Texas expanded Medicaid, that would mean I/my family could…
- I support extending healthcare to Texans who can’t afford it because…
- Even though I wouldn’t benefit directly from Medicaid expansion, I support it for my community because...
Thank you,
[your name]
[include your e-mail & address so legislators can verify you're a constituent]
We also have a few data points you can add to your message. Just remember, the most powerful message is the one where your passion shines through.
Simply put stamps on the corner of the postcard, make sure that the lawmaker's address is properly filled out, and put them in your mailbox to be picked up by the post office! It is that easy!
You don't need any special stamps to mail them out. Normal stamps work! You can also get postcard stamps, which are cheaper than regular stamps. Check out this website to order stamps.
You can mail them to your mayor, city council members, state legislator, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Congressional representative...anyone you want to make sure hears your message! To find information on who represents you, visit this website and input your address.
Make Your Voice Heard
This is one of the most important steps. You've put a lot of effort into making beautiful, effective postcards. Now this step creates public accountability and ensures the public knows we're calling on legislators to expand Medicaid so our voices are harder to ignore. Include a photo of your postcard(s) or postcard party, and be sure to tag your legislator.
Sample Tweets
Proud to call on [@your legislator] to expand Medicaid. It's long past time to make sure Texans have a shot to stay healthy. Let's get it done! #SickOfItTX #txlege #MedEx4TX [@your legislator]
We are your constituents [@your legislator], and we hosted a postcard party in support of #MedEx. All Texans deserve the chance to see a doctor when they need to. It's long past time! #SickOfItTX, #txlege #MedEx4TX
Make sure to use these hashtags when posting on social media so we can reshare and elevate your voice!
#SickOfItTX #txlege #MedEx4TX
How Did It Go?
Please let us know if you sent postcards to your representatives. We like to know who's hearing from their constituents and how they're responding.
Do you have questions, feedback, or comments about how we can make this process better? We'd love to hear from you. If you have a simple question, you can reach us at hello@sickofittx.org. If you want to leave more extensive feedback, please use the form below. Thanks!