SAMPLE LETTER

Today's Date

Request for support of two bills:
The Health Care Freedom of Choice Act, H.R. 1117, and
The OTC Medicine Tax Fairness Act, H.R. 3596

Dear Representative (name):

I urge you to co-sponsor and support legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA), H.R. 1117, the Health Care Freedom of Choice Act, in addition to the OTC Medicine Tax Fairness Act, H.R. 3596, sponsored by Rep. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY). Together, these bills would dramatically reduce the burden of health care costs for me and many other Sjögren's syndrome patients.

We only receive tax benefits for out-of-pocket medical expenses if we spend at least 7.5% of our annual gross income. Rep. Cox's bill would allow 100% of medically necessary, out-of-pocket expenses to be deducted. While expenses for Sjögren's patients are extremely high, many of us don't reach the 7.5% threshhold. Cox's bill will also mean that making personal choices in health care will be easier.

The DeMint/Slaughter bill is critically important to me as a Sjögren's syndrome patient. We rely primarily on Over-the-Counter drugs and products to treat this serious disease, and currently the tax code does not include these medically necessary expenses along with prescription drugs, insulin, and hospital and doctor bills not covered by insurance.

Sjögren’s syndrome is a common autoimmune disease that affects as many as four million Americans. We must frequently visit many different specialists, ranging from rheumatologists to neurologists and ophthalmologists to dentists, and we often must undergo expensive testing and lab work. In Sjögren's, inflammation and damage can affect any body organ and causes dysfunction of moisture-producing glands, leading to dryness throughout the body. As a result, we depend largely on OTC drugs to replace moisture and deal with debilitating complications.

Please support both H.R. 1117 and H.R. 3569. Together, these bills will have a major and positive impact on my life and ease the burden of the tremendous costs incurred by having a devastating chronic autoimmune disease, Sjögren's syndrome. I encourage you to visit the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation website at www.sjogrens.org for more information.

Sincerely,

(Provide your full name and address)

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