Check out the linked grids for:

• Seniors + Medicare
• The Mandate
• Opposing Repeal
• Premium Rate Increases

To whet your appetite, we have copied the grid for Premium Rate Increases below. Please let us know if there is a better format or approach for doing these documents. And if you have questions, or would like customization of these resources, give a holler.

Also, check out our latest summary of our recent research results: it's the short and quick version, for your back pocket.

Concern/Attack

Premium rate increases are the result of the health law.

“My insurance company just increased my premiums by _%. This new health law is to blame. In order to cover everybody with a pre-existing condition, of course insurers have no choice but to raise our rates.”

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Key Audiences

Health reform base

(they will likely not agree with this attack, but it is important to reengage and energize their support for the law)

Persuadable public (especially blue collar working women, Latinos, under 40s, rural communities).

This group is uncertain about the law and very concerned about their premium rate increases. Therefore, they become easy targets to the ad campaigns and misinformation from the industry and others who oppose the law.

Best Messenger(s)

Advocates; member of the community with personal story of how the law benefits them – remember first person voice is always best; second person voice OK but less compelling

Member of the community (representative of the ‘persuadable’ public) with a story of how the law will benefit them; doctors/nurses; small business owners; advocates

Best Message(s)

Hit hard on insurance companies’ greed:

“For over 30 years insurers have been arbitrarily increasing my premiums. Over the years my costs have skyrocketed. It’s no coincidence that in our nation’s current economic woes, the health insurance industry is one of the few to see outrageous profits.

"CEO’s continue to receive millions in bonuses and retire with billion dollar compensation packages.

"Insurance companies spent over 500 million dollars opposing health reform because they knew it would hold them accountable and their greed in check. The new health law may not be perfect, but it does help many people like my family. The law requires insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions, ban them from dropping coverage for people who get sick, and cracks down on their unjustified premium hikes.

"We can’t let them get away with fingering the new law for their most recent premium rate increases. When they claim that insuring kids with pre-existing conditions is the cause of the increase I get irate. My daughter’s ‘pre-existing condition’ allowed insurers to deny her coverage and quality care. She’s missed so many days of school due to her asthma. Finally she’ll have coverage and her asthma treated the way it should—in the doctor’s office rather than the emergency room. Really, do we want to be a country that pays retired CEO’s billion dollar packages while keeping ten year olds home from school? I’d rather invest in our children, not in the 7^th home of some insurance industry executive. This law cracks down on greed and out of control profits. That’s a good start. Now we’ll work to make it better.”

Hit hard on the values of fairness, peace of mind; the hit on insurance companies’ greed should be softer than with health reform base:

“For over 30 years health insurers have annually raised my premiums. My costs have skyrocketed. Anyone who pays their family’s health care bills knows this is an old story.

"Now we finally have a new health law that pays attention to hardworking people, not just those making millions of dollars on healthcare. It may not be perfect, but it does start to help many people, like me and my family. The law requires insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions, bans them from dropping coverage for people who get sick, does away with lifetime caps, and cracks down on insurers unjustified premium hikes.

"I just got a letter from my insurance company saying my rates were once again going up, only this time they say it’s because of the new law requiring them to cover children with pre-existing conditions. That made me angry. It’s not fair for the insurance industry to finger the new law and kids for the cause of the increase. My daughter’s ‘pre-existing condition’ allowed insurers to repeatedly deny her coverage and quality care. She’s missed so many days of school due to her asthma. Finally she’ll have coverage and her asthma treated the way it should be—in the doctor’s office rather than the emergency room. That’s such a relief to our whole family.

"Really, do we want to be a country that allows profits to keep ten year olds home from school? I’d rather invest in our children. While adding kids with pre-existing conditions will increase insurer’s costs by _%, my premiums are increasing by _%. That’s not fair; it’s greedy. This health law protects us from too much greed in the insurance industry. That’s a good thing.”

*NOTE

Use a personal story that wraps around a benefit(s) of the law that people value. Top benefits:

1. No more pre-existing condition exclusions
2. No longer being dropped from coverage
3. No lifetime caps on coverage
4. No co-pays for preventive care
5. Tax credits for small businesses to buy their employees insurance
6. Support for Medicare recipients to stay home instead of going into a nursing home.