It is expected that later today the United States Senate will take a key vote on health care reform. If 60 senators vote “aye” debate on the bill can continue and the package should be passed sometime around Christmas Eve. A "no" vote today would doom the entire health care reform movement for the foreseeable future. The Senate bill is so far from perfect that reasonable progressives have argued it should be defeated but that would be a terrible mistake. It could take another 15-20 years before we have another chance to start reform of the health care system and in the process of reconciliation with the House health care reform bill there are still opportunities for improvement.

Faithful America notes today:

We're nearing the end of a difficult road. We know the Senate bill in its current form falls short of the ideal we've all been working for these past months. We, and others in the faith community, still have deep concerns, particularly when it comes to affordability for low-income families...so why are we asking you to take action now?

Simple. We just couldn't tell the 30 million uninsured Americans who will gain coverage under this bill to wait any longer.

For three decades, we've been holding out for a better health care deal [1]. During that time, hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters have filed for bankruptcy or even died because they lacked adequate health insurance. For too long we have tolerated a system that consistently turns its back on those our faiths call us to care for most.

This bill will change that. While not perfect, the bill contains several important measures that will dramatically improve upton the health care status quo [2]. The Senate legislation:

• Prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions or canceling coverage if you get sick.
• Ensures that you won't lose your coverage if you lose your job.
• Curbs increases in premium costs.
• Adds consumer protections like requiring insurance companies to spend 85 cents of every dollar they receive on care, instead of administration and profits.
• Provides premium assistance for low- and middle-income families.

This is more than we've ever done to make health care affordable for all American families, but we still need your help to make it happen.

Contact your senator today: We can't wait any longer for reform.

As frustrating as the negotiating process has been, as angry as we are with the insurance companies and grandstanding legislators, at the end of the day, we believe this bill is about giving 30 million more of our friends and neighbors peace of mind, and in some cases, a lifeline.

They've waited long enough.

Please write your senator today.