California Association of Health Underwriters

Adopt a Legislator

Adopt-A-Leg Program Overview

The purpose of the Adopt-a-Legislator program is to encourage CAHU members to establish a relationship of trust with their legislators. Like most of us, legislators are personally interested in just a handful of public policy issues. When it comes to issues other than these, legislators develop their positions based on input from people whose opinions they respect and trust. Legislators also want to be responsive to the constituents who elected them to office.

Adopting a legislator means building a personal relationship with your legislator so he/she views you and CAHU as a primary resource for insurance and health care issues. It also means contacting your legislator as a constituent and letting him/her know what CAHU's positions are and why.

Ideally, every member of the State Assembly and State Senate should be adopted by a CAHU member. If several CAHU members adopt the same legislator, it shows our strength in numbers.

Finding Out Who Your Legislators Are

You can find out who represents you in the California Assembly or Senate at this link:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

You can find out who represents you in Congress at this link:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Guidelines For Adopt-A-Leg Participation

Each CAHU member who participates in the Adopt-A-Legislator Program is acting as a representative of CAHU. As such, members are responsible for communicating official CAHU positions rather than their own views and opinions. CAHU asks each Adopt-A-Leg participant to follow these guidelines:

  1. When you participate in the Adopt-A-Leg program, you are representing CAHU. You are responsible for communicating official CAHU positions only, not your own views and opinions.
  2. If you disagree with a CAHU position for any reason, you should call your local Legislative Chair to discuss philosophical differences. If you can't support CAHU's position on an issue, you will not be asked to contact legislators on CAHU's behalf.
  3. CAHU does not expect you to act like lobbyist since CAHU already has paid lobbyists. Instead, CAHU needs your grassroots participation. You will be asked to write letters, send Emails, and meet with your adopted legislators to present CAHU's positions. You are not being asked to play the “political game” but rather, to participate for the good of the heath insurance industry.
  4. Your local Legislative Chair, CAHU's Vice President of Legislation, and CAHU's lobbyists are available to provide information and guidance, answer questions or address any concerns.
  5. Follow-through is extremely important. If you are unable to continue your service, please notify your local Legislative Chair immediately.
  6. Please recruit other health insurance industry professionals to participate in CAHU's Adopt-A-Leg program. The more who participate, the stronger it makes CAHU's Legislative Program.
  7. Since you are building relationships with your legislators, it's important for you to attend CAHU's annual Day at the Capitol in Sacramento each year as well as NAHU's Capitol Conference in Washington D.C. This is a perfect opportunity to exchange ideas and information with other CAHU and NAHU members.
  8. Visit CAHU's web site at www.cahu.org and NAHU's web site at www.nahu.org to keep informed about legislative issues, programs, CAHU's positions, and the status of bills that CAHU is tracking.
  9. Keep in close contact with your Local Legislative Chair on a regular basis.
Your Responsibilities As An “Adopter”

When you participate in CAHU's Adopt-A-Leg program, you are responsible for:

  1. Establishing a personal one-on-one relationship with your assigned legislators and his/her staff. If you have an existing personal relationship with a legislator, please advise CAHU's Vice President of Legislation and CAHU's lobbyists.
  2. Meeting with your legislators and their staff once per quarter in their district offices. If appropriate, bring a client who can elaborate on how agents bring value to consumers. Depending on the legislative environment, you may be asked to meet with your legislators more often and in other locations like their Capitol offices.
  3. Once you have established a relationship, continue to build on the relationship with phone calls. Use these calls to discuss a pending bill or other healthcare issues.
  4. Keep in contact with your legislators and their staff on a regular basis. If your chapter has a special event, invite the legislators and their staff to participate in the program. Invite your legislators to tour your offices and put them on your mailing lists for newsletters and other correspondence. Attend local events that feature your legislators and make appearances at their fundraisers. Be creative and use your imagination to build good relationships.
  5. When CAHU needs to use the relationships you've developed, please respond right away. CAHU will provide you with a synopsis of the issue and arguments to counter opposing views. You will need to send Emails, make phone calls, or draft and send letters to your adopted legislators within the specified timeframe for action. If you have any questions about the information you've been given or what's required, call your local Legislative Chair for assistance.
  6. After you meet with your legislators, ALWAYS Email an Adopt-A-Leg contact sheet to CAHU's Legislative Analyst, Steven Lindsay. CAHU must keep track of which contacts have been made, which still need to be made, and the positions that legislators took during the contacts. Click here for the online Adopt-A-Leg contact sheet.
  7. Notify your local Legislative Chair in advance when you plan to meet with or call your legislations. Let your local Legislative Chair know how the meetings or calls went afterwards.
How To Adopt a Legislator
  1. Usually, you will be asked to adopt a legislator in your own district. However, an exception will be made if you have an existing relationship with a legislator in another district. In order of priority, CAHU's goals for legislator adoption are: (1) legislators on key Assembly and Senate committees; (2) Assembly and Senate leaders; (3) all remaining State legislators; and (4) the U.S. Congress.
  2. Once you've been assigned to adopt a legislator, learn more about him or her. Your local Legislative Chair will give you some basics and you can search the Internet for additional background information. The Assembly's website is www.assembly.ca.gov and the Senate's website is www.senate.ca.gov. You might also want to contact CAHU's lobbyists for additional information and behind-the-scenes commentary. Before your first contact, you'll need to know:
    1. In-district and Capitol office addresses, phones, and FAX numbers.
    2. Does your legislator belong to the Democrat, Republican, or another party? Is he/she liberal or conservative?
    3. When were they elected? When will their terms expire?
    4. What committees do they sit on?
    5. Are they associated with any high-visibility issues?
    6. Who are their allies? Their adversaries?
    7. What were the latest election results? Did they win in a safe district? By a large margin? Defeat an incumbent?
    8. Who are their key staff people (chief of staff; healthcare or insurance specialists) in their district and Capitol offices?
    9. What are their key areas of interest?
    10. Have they been involved with or sponsored healthcare legislation?
  3. With this background information, schedule a time to meet your legislator. When the legislature is not in session (September through December), legislators are usually available to meet in their district offices. When the legislature is in session, many legislators are in their district offices on Fridays.
How To Meet With Your Legislator
  1. Contact your local Legislative Chair before you schedule your first meeting. Ask for information on CAHU's key healthcare or insurance issues.
  2. If this is your first meeting with any legislator, ask your local Legislative Chair to arrange for an experienced member to go with you.
  3. Your first meeting should be low key. You should:
    1. Introduce yourself as a member of CAHU and its Adopt-A-Leg Program.
    2. Using the Role of the Agent brochure as a guide, explain what you do as an insurance agent.
    3. Offer to assist the legislator and his/her staff when healthcare issues arise.
    4. In this first meeting, you don't need to discuss CAHU's positions or ask the legislator for anything. You are simply getting acquainted. If a more experienced member is with you, he/she may use the opportunity to present a CAHU position or information on a key issue.
    5. Email an Adopt-A-Leg contact sheet to CAHU's Legislative Analyst, Steven Lindsay. Click on this link for the online Adopt-A-Leg contact sheet: [link for contact sheet]
    6. As a representative of CAHU, please refrain from expressing your personal opinions or pursuing your own political agendas. If you are unsure of CAHU's policies or positions, don't guess. Instead, offer to research the matter and get back to the legislator promptly.
  4. After your first visit, follow-up with a short thank you note to the legislator. In the note, restate your offer to serve as a healthcare insurance resource.

Sample Thank You Letter (on your letterhead stationery)

Date

The Honorable Legislator Name
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear ________:

It was a pleasure meeting with you on _____________ (date) to discuss ______________ (topics discussed) and the role of the professional health insurance agent. Thank you for your time and the opportunity to share views on upcoming legislation.

The California Association of Health Underwriters is committed to making a positive contribution as you deal with the complex and challenging issues of healthcare reform. We hope you will take advantage of our offer to serve as a resource when these issues arise.

My business card is attached. Please don't hesitate to call if I can be of any assistance.

Sincerely,

Your Legible Name and Signature

Some DO'S and DON'TS When Meeting With Legislators

DO be prompt
DO stay within your scheduled time
DO introduce yourself and your association
DO leave your card
DO leave a copy of the "Role of the Agent" brochure
DO offer to advise the staff and the legislator on healthcare insurance issues.
DO send a follow-up letter thanking the legislator for their time
DON'T discuss politics
DON'T argue
DON'T ever use the line, "I'm a taxpayer," for any reason
DON'T ever hand the legislator a campaign contribution when they are on State property including their in-district and Capitol offices.

When To Contact Your Legislators

Timing is very important for the Adopt-A-Leg program. Legislators don't like to be contacted about an issue until it's time for them to pay attention to that issue. CAHU will send you Legislative Alerts when it's time for you to call, write, or Email your legislators. The Legislative Alert will give you the timeframe by which your calls, letters, or Emails must be sent. Usually, these timeframes are very short, a few days at most. This is not poor planning on CAHU's part. Instead, it's how the legislative process works. Your willingness to respond on short notice is the key to insuring that CAHU's issues are addressed.

How To Call Your Legislator

If you have an established relationship with both your legislator and his/her staff, your phone call should be casual. Call the legislative aide that deals with healthcare issues and discuss the bill with which CAHU is concerned. Or, if you have a close relationship, call the Senator or Assembly representative directly.

When you get a Legislative Alert, you might be asked to call your adopted legislators. If this seems intimidating, here are some tips:

  1. Read the background information, fact sheets, arguments for and against the bill, and CAHU's position before you make your calls
  2. Identify yourself
  3. Tell the person who answers the phone that you are calling to ask Senator Smith or Assembly Member Jones to support or oppose AB or SB XXX.
  4. Indicate where the bill is in the process (in a specific committee or on the floor).

That's about it. A typical call goes very quickly. Don't be surprised when the receptionist says, "Thanks, I'll let the Senator/Assembly Member know," and then hangs up. You don't need to call back to see if they understood your position. Sometimes, the receptionist will transfer you to the legislator's aide who is working on the bill. If that happens, you might be able to discuss the bill in more length, but that's the exception rather than the rule. Regardless of its length, the phone call is an important part of the grassroots legislative process. Even if you feel that the receptionist didn't pay much attention to you, the fact that you took a few minutes to make the call is important. Most legislators count the number of calls for and against a specific bill and their constituents viewpoints do have an impact.

How To Write Your Legislator a Letter

CAHU will provide you with background information, fact sheets, and arguments for and against a bill when asking you to send letters to your legislators. Your letter should look like this:

Date

The Honorable Legislator Name
Member, California State Senate or Assembly
State Capitol, Room _____
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Senator or Assembly Member ________:

I am writing in (support of or opposition to) AB/SB XXX.

If passed, AB/SB XXX will have the following effects: (explain the positive or negative effects the bill will have on you, your clients, and consumers in general; state why the legislator should support or oppose it.)

For these reasons, I respectfully request that you (support or oppose) AB/SB XXX. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Your legible name and signature

cc:  CAHU's Vice President of Legislation
      CAHU's Lobbyists

Make your point in the first paragraph. Try to keep letters to one page whenever possible. Use your agency's letterhead or put your address and phone number underneath your signature. You can Email or FAX letters to legislators' offices and mail the originals. Letters should be faxed and mailed to the Capitol offices. If a legislator responds favorably to your communication, either by a return letter or by voting as you requested, send them a thank you note.

Report Adopt-A-Leg Contacts Online

It's vitally important for CAHU's Legislative Program to keep track of contacts with legislators. Please get in the habit of using this convenient online Adopt-A-Leg Contact Sheet to report your legislator contacts and any pertinent feedback.
Click here for the online Adopt-A-Leg contact sheet

Generic Adopt-A-Leg Calendar of Events

Dates of events and deadlines change every year. Please check the online calendars for CAHU and NAHU for actual dates and deadlines. Despite the changes each year, this generic calendar should give you a general overview of Adopt-A-Leg tasks and timeframes.

January

  • Make plane and hotel reservations for NAHU's annual Capitol Conference in Washington D.C.
  • Make legislator appointments in Washington D.C. for all Congressional members for which your chapter is responsible

February

  • Bill Review Team will begin its work
  • Deadline for introducing bills in the State legislature

March

  • CAHU Leg Council meets
  • CAHU Board adopts positions on bills
  • Begin scheduling appointments to meet with your chapter's State legislators while you're in Sacramento attending CAHU's annual Day at the Capitol in May

April

  • Continue scheduling appointments to meet with your chapter's State legislators while you're in Sacramento attending CAHU's annual Day at the Capitol in May
  • Senate and Assembly Policy Committee hearings and floor votes
  • CAHU Board adopts positions on bills

May

  • Attend CAHU's annual Day at the Capitol and meet with your chapter's legislators in the Capitol offices
  • Senate and Assembly Policy Committee hearings and floor votes
  • State budget work begins

June

  • Senate and Assembly Policy Committee hearings and floor votes
  • State budget due June 15
  • Attend NAHU annual Convention

July

  • Senate and Assembly Policy Committee hearings and floor votes
  • New State budget year begins
  • Summer recess begins

August

  • Senate and Assembly Policy Committee hearings and floor votes
  • Schedule in-district meetings with adopted legislators
  • Summer recess begins

September-October

  • State legislature recesses for the year
  • All bills that passed both houses go to the Governor
  • Schedule in-district meetings with adopted legislators
  • Attend CAHU's annual Sales Conference

November

  • Register for NAHU's Capitol Conference
  • Finish in-district meetings with adopted legislators
CAHU Day at the Capitol: What You Need To Know

When you sign up for CAHU's Day at the Capitol, here are some things you'll want to know:

  1. Let your local Legislative Chair know if you will be attending one or both days. If this is your first Day at the Capitol, a more experienced member will accompany you on your legislative appointments.
  2. Make sure your local Legislative Chair and CAHU have your home address so you are included on appointments that are scheduled with your elected representatives
  3. If you have adopted a legislator in a district where you are not a constituent, make sure to let your local Legislative Chair know so you are assigned to appointments set up with that legislator instead of your own
  4. Schedule your transportation to Sacramento. If you are planning to attend both day, your should arrive in Sacramento by 11:30 a.m. on the first day since meetings begin around noon. If you are attending the second day only, you should arrive no later than 8:00 a.m. so you can attend the citizen lobbyist briefing meetings in the morning and go on legislator appointments in the afternoon. Don't plan to leave Sacramento until after 5:30 p.m.
  5. Bring plenty of business cards to leave with the legislators and their staff members during your appointments.
  6. On Day 1, CAHU usually has a Board meeting and the annual House of Delegates meeting. In the afternoon, there will be sessions to brief you on CAHU's legislative issues and priorities. Sometimes, there are CE classes. In the evening, there's a reception for Diamond-level contributors to the CAHU PAC. The dress code for Day 1 is business casual.
  7. In the morning on Day 2, there will be additional briefing sessions. Then, in the afternoon, attendees meet with legislators at their Capitol offices. The dress code for Day 2 is business attire.
  8. The local chapter Legislative Chair is responsible for scheduling appointments with the legislators for which the chapter is responsible. The local chapter Legislative Chair is also responsible for picking up the information and packets that will be left during the visits with legislators. Please do not ask the registration desk for legislator packets unless you are the local chapter Legislative Chair.
  9. Around noon, attendees from each local chapter should caucus with their local chapter Legislative Chair. This is the time to review the appointments that have been scheduled for the afternoon and go over the informational packets that should be left behind.
  10. Ideally, each attendee will meet with the Assembly Member and Senator that represents the district where the attendee lives. In addition, the local chapter Legislative Chair may schedule appointments with key committee members or Senate and Assembly leaders.
  11. Plan to arrive at the legislator's office a few minutes prior to the scheduled appointment time. Your group should decide who will start off with an explanation of CAHU and the role of the agent; who will lead the discussion on each key issue; and who will leave CAHU's packet of information for the legislator and his/her staff.
  12. Your appointment with the legislator is a sales call. Your main purpose is to educate the legislator and his/her staff about the services you provide to consumers by sales and servicing of health insurance products. Give some thought to 1 or 2 specific examples of how your services have helped your clients (for example, solving claims problems, resolving administrative issues, assisting in compliance with state and federal laws). Just as if you are talking to a potential client, you are selling your services as well as the product. In this case, the product is the legislation you have come to discuss.
  13. Don't be surprised if appointments are short, lasting 30 minutes or less. Legislators will be working while you're there and they might not have much time to sit down with you.
    Most legislators have small offices. So, appointments should be scheduled for groups of 5 or less when possible. If you're with a large group, there might not be enough seating so be prepared to stand.
  14. Obtain a business card from the legislator/staff so you can write a follow-up thank you letter. Each person in your group is expected to write a thank-you letter. You may want to take notes so you can personalize your thank-you letters. Depending on the legislative environment, CAHU might send you a template thank you letter to use.
  15. Designate one member of your to complete and submit the online Adopt-A-Leg Contact Form after your appointments.

If you will be unable to attend at the last minute, you must notify your local Legislative Chair immediately so appointments can be shifted to someone else.

Have fun and enjoy the experience! CAHU's Day at the Capitol is a great way to learn about the industry and provide a valuable service to your clients.

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