Step 1

Look up your Member of Congress by entering your zip code at www.House.gov.

Step 2:

Click the link to your Member’s website and click on the Contact Me button.

Step 3:

You may need to enter your address, then type in your note stating why breast cancer is important to you and the request to co-sponsor the Find It Early Act. See the sample letter:

• Title: Please co-sponsor the Find It Early Act
• Message: (Copy and paste the suggested message into the form. Leave it as-is, or change it as you see fit. Better yet, write your own story explaining why this bill is important to you and those you love.)

  I am writing today as your constituent to urge you to co-sponsor the Find It Early Act (H.R.3086/S 5141), a bipartisan piece of legislation that would ensure all health insurance plans cover screening and diagnostic mammograms and additional screening for women with dense breasts and other high-risk factors, with no cost-sharing.

  Early detection is key to the effective treatment of breast cancer – 99 percent of women who receive an early diagnosis survive it. Unfortunately, women often have to pay high out-of-pocket costs for additional screenings due to risk factors such as breast density or family history. Many women have a heightened risk of breast cancer but cannot afford the cost of screening and will choose to delay or forgo these crucial tests. This decision often leads to later-stage diagnoses when breast cancer is less treatable or possibly incurable and, therefore, terminal. The bipartisan Find It Early Act would eliminate this ‘hidden cost’ of breast cancer diagnosis by requiring private and government insurers to cover the out-of-pocket costs often faced by women who need additional screenings to diagnose their cancer. This policy change would increase the early detection of breast cancer, thereby saving countless lives and saving exorbitant costs of later-stage cancer care.

  I urge you to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation that will help more women access essential and potentially life-saving screening services for breast cancer. Thank you sincerely for taking action to represent the interests of your constituents and for playing an integral part in saving countless lives.

• Topics: Health or Women’s Issues

Step 4:

Remember to do the same with your senators that you can find at www.Senate.gov .

Step 1:

Call the Capitol Switchboard and ask for your Member of Congress’ office at 202-225-3121 or 202-224-3121, or look up the phone number on your Member's website.

Step 2:

Call the office and ask for the full name of the Health Legislative Assistant.

Step 3:

Then ask to speak with that person or send an email requesting a virtual or in-person meeting.

• All email addresses in the House are firstname.lastname@mail.house.gov

• In the Senate most email addresses are firstname_lastname@senate.lastnameofsenator.gov

If you are emailing the staff, use a short, simple message that communicates that you are a constituent (add an executive, doctor, patient, or other affiliation as you deem appropriate) and would like to arrange a Zoom or in-person meeting to discuss breast cancer.

Please invite your friends and colleagues to join the Coalition and send similar letters and meeting requests!