Cultivate long-term relationships with elected officials, both local and federal. These connections can be forged through office visits to discuss health care issues or through letters requesting support for legislative proposals such as H.R. 676, similar proposals in the U.S. Senate, or state-level bills that increase universality of coverage. Follow-up letters of
appreciation for support for positive health care proposals are helpful in encouraging legislation consistent with social work values. Although no single method of communication is optimally effective for all public officials, in-person visits and snail mail tend to be more effective than e-mail petitions or prescripted postcards.