Pennsylvania Lobby Day a Success

Working with the American Medical Student Association, students from medical schools across the state of Pennsylvania organized a single payer rally at the state capitol. For a summary of events, see below.

Dear AMSA Lobby Day Participants,

Amazing work! Last Monday, 57 of us from five universities across Pennsylvania converged on Harrisburg to lobby in support of a bill that would provide guaranteed, comprehensive, publicly-funded healthcare for all PA residents. And we rocked the Capitol.

• We visited 74 offices, meeting with 24 legislators and 27 legislative aids, leaving notes and information with the rest.
  
• Of the 51 legislators and aids whom we met with, 33 responded positively to the bill, 23 were open to sponsoring a hearing in their area, and 36 expressed interest in sponsoring an economic impact study.

• Of the 34 people we met with who hadn’t previously co-sponsored the bill, 13 Democrats and 12 Republicans responded positively to the idea of co-sponoring the bill, holding a hearing on it, or sponsoring an economic impact study.

• Of these 34 that had not supported the bill in the past, seven said they would co-sponsor the bill and nine said they were interested in possibly co-sponsoring!

This was only our second AMSA PA Lobby Day. Compared with last year, the number of participants doubled and we had a far greater impact — thanks to all of you and especially the lobby day school leaders! Next year, it will rock even harder.

For photos of the event, click here.