We are gaining great momentum. Many organizations are signing on to collect signatures in the workplace, whether from employees, customers, patients, visitors, or members. I won’t list them all here, but to give you an idea of the diversity of support, we’ve recently received endorsements from organizations like the pro-business Colorado Business Group on Health, the pro-patient organization ColoradoCare, and healthcare providers Mountain Family Health Centers. Businesses, patients, and providers coming together demonstrates the universal appeal of this effort. Everyone understands the need for transparent pricing in healthcare (except the healthcare industry giants, it seems).

We already have thousands of commitments to signatures from organizations that will collect them for us. From neighborhood captains who have committed to collect signatures in their community to university students on campus. My own home owners association, for example, has 82 homes with an average of 2.2 adults per home. That’s 160+ signatures. Just imagine a casual walk around your neighborhood a few Sunday evenings in May, or chatting with your neighbors at your HOA’s 4th of July party. You could even host your own BBQ just for the purpose of collecting signatures. If we had two volunteers in every neighborhood, we’d be all set. If you’d like to volunteer, please let us know. The non-partisan nature of this measure makes it easy. Everyone understands transparency in healthcare billing. No one will tell you it’s a bad idea. Even healthcare executives will sign your neighborhood petition. Not only do most believe in it privately, even if they don’t like it, they won’t likely want to tell you they don’t believe in it. Think about what that says about them…

Despite all of the incredible progress and support, we’re leaving nothing to chance. We are raising $2.5 million to ensure this gets done. We need to be prepared to counter the negative advertising that will come out of the healthcare industry. I’ve been told to expect hospitals and insurance carriers to spend $20 million or more opposing this. Because we enjoy such universal support, we don’t need to match them dollar for dollar, but we can’t let their nonsense go unchecked either. In my blog post, Don’t Pay Any Attention to that Woman Behind the Curtain, I touched upon the lobbyists and attorneys the healthcare industry hides behind to ensure its financial interests are preserved. This is why partnerships with community-minded organizations and fellow citizens are so important – it is going to take all of us to fight this powerful lobby. This is why we have been working with community leaders, businesses, and civic organizations, not only in Colorado but across the U.S., on the issue of price transparency in healthcare.

We need your help. A small investment of $10 from each supporter will go a very long way. This is not a charity—this is an investment. When you consider what you spend on healthcare every month, a $10 investment to bring that down is something everyone should feel good about. Don’t leave this to others to take care of. Everyone needs to be a part of it.

Please join the fight. Here’s a checklist you can use:

1. Donate at least $10.
2. Join the BrokenHealthcare Facebook group. This is where you can express your support and share your own stories. Make at least one comment, and like the page.
3. Decide for yourself, or introduce us to the right person at your company. Ask if they’ll invest $10 per employee to help bring the company’s cost of healthcare down. Also ask if you can collect signatures in the office or find someone else who can (a receptionist or front desk manager makes a great choice). You can tell us how your company will get involved.

You can come hear me speak about this issue next week at this event Thursday evening. I’ll be around to talk one-on-one after I speak. If you’d like to talk about volunteering, signing up your company, or helping in any other way, this will be a great time for it.