Both the Senate and House have passed versions of the Economic Recovery Act, but the two versions are not equal.  The Senate version have removed various health care provisions.  The cuts are bad in the short-term, eliminating thousands of new jobs and not extending much-needed help for those most affected by the economic downturn.  They're also bad in the long term, weakening our public health, weakening our social safety net just when it's about to be most strongly tested, and refusing to address health care problems that are draining the financial reserves of families and government budgets alike.

Write to your Representative and Senators.  Urge them that the health care provisions in the House version of the bill should prevail in the final version of the bill, especially:

*  subsidies for COBRA
*  temporary eligibility under Medicaid for those who have lost their jobs
*  prevention and wellness programs
*  pandemic flu prevention programs
*  smoking cessation programs
*  comparative effectiveness research