UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 ~ FALL 2010

CommonHealth2010 Ballot Question for SinglePayer Passed in all 14 Districts!

In all 14 districts that placed single payer on the ballot, voters supported it with a resounding yes, averaging 63% yes across the districts! Five of the districts backing single payer reform voted for Scott Brown in last year’s special Senate election, showing that the goal of improved and expanded Medicare-for-all is supported by a diverse range of communities across the state. Many of the 14 districts had very active outreach efforts to the voters with op-eds, videos to local Access TV stations, fliers, signs and spreading the word through local organizations. The whole process broadened our grassroots efforts and brought in new activists for Mass-Care. Thanks to all the volunteers who worked on passing the ballot question!

In 2008 voters in 10 out of 10 districts also supported a similar ballot question, demonstrating continued voter support for single payer through 2010, even in a year of political change and drawn-out economic suffering. The voters support healthcare as a right for all residents. They voted for an equitable system that doesn’t discriminate by age, state of health, or employment status, and they voted to have publicly supported healthcare through a fair tax system that provides cost effective, comprehensive medical care for all residents.

The new question for Massachusetts is whether the legislators get the message of the people. The reason the ballot question was put forward was to demonstrate to the state representatives that the voters in their districts want them to support the Massachusetts single payer Health Care Trust bill. The updated Health Care Trust bill will be refiled in January 2011. That is the time the residents of the Commonwealth will have a second chance to voice their support for Single Payer Medicare-for-all. Mass-Care will have a Lobby Day in mid January to strengthen our message and organize groups to speak with their legislators about co-sponsoring the Health Care Trust bill. We have the power to make the legislators hear our message if we work at it, and don’t give up! - Pat Berger, MD

“Singing for Single Payer” a Great SuccessGlorious music filled the sanctuary of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brookline, at the Mass-Care Benefit Concert on November 12. Beginning with the exuberant Joyful Voices of Inspiration, a gospel chorus, and ending with the foot-stomping tunes of jazz/blues group Outrageous Fortune, the audience enjoyed a full evening of entertainment. Other featured musicians were up-coming singer/songwriter Ryan Schmidt, the a capella group Treble on Huntington from Northeastern University and the comic songs of Damaged Care with Dr. Barry Levy.

Kitty Dukakis served as a gracious mistress of ceremonies, and Governor Mike Dukakis’ keynote remarks highlighted the long history of failed attempts to attain universal health insurance for all in the United States, in contrast to the situation in most other industrialized countries. His remarks were well received by an audience of over 120 people. Delicious refreshments including a variety of home-baked delights, fruit and cranberry/pineapple punch added to the friendly intermingling of performers and the audience during intermission. The Fundraising Committee thanks all who brought refreshments and helped serve them.

Organizing all of this was Pat Berger, with help from members of the committee, including Vic Bloomberg, Joseph Lilleyman, Ben Day, John Blanchard, Bea Mikulecky and interns Asha Cesar and Nivedita Poola. The committee is happy to report that the concert brought in substantial funding for Mass-Care. - Bea Mikulecky

Universal Health Care Education Fund c/o Mass-Care33 Harrison Avenue, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02111

P: 617-723-7001, F: 617-723-7002info@masscare.org http://www.masscare.org

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 ~ FALL 2010

So what happened on November 2nd?

The prophets of doom and gloom have certainly had a field day both before and after that date. After participating in the recent strategy meetings of the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare and Healthcare-Now!, and hearing report-backs from the recent meetings of Physicians for a National Health Program and the Labor Caucus for Single Payer, I see our path ahead as complex and flexible. We need a two-pronged strategy, one that is defensive and at the same time moving forward.

While we lost some great individuals, for the most part useless Blue-Dog Democrats were replaced by useless Republicans. The resultant is a DP caucus in the House that is more progressive than ever. Eighty one of the eighty-eight co-sponsors of HR.676, the Medicare for All bill, ran for another term in Congress. One ran for governor of Hawai’i. Seventy nine of the eighty one were re-elected by large margins. The candidate for governor also won. Vermont, California and Hawai’i now have governors who support single payer health care.

At the strategy meetings in Philadelphia in mid-November, many went out of their way to thank Massachusetts for the fourteen local ballot campaigns which prove that single payer is still the people’s choice. I had to field several questions on the specifics of the Massachusetts plan, which provided the architecture of the current federal law. Mass-Care vice-chair Frank Olbris and student intern Asha Cesar came to Philadelphia after the Brookline concert. Together we covered workshops on state strategies, the use of technology and challenging corporate power,

Speaking of which, what’s up with the commercial health insurance industry? Having secured what they wanted from Democrats in the form of the individual mandate to buy their shoddy products and the state-based insurance exchanges to pimp them, they’re switching their money to Republicans in order to strip the federal bill of any regulatory relief the people may now have. They hope to parlay the demand to repeal the federal bill into dissecting out those parts of it that hinder their greed..

Our defensive strategy starts with combatting the federal deficit commission’s proposals to attack Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. On September 30th, the Capitol switchboard was swamped by callers demanding Hands off Social Security, Hands off Medicare. Several Southern governors have indicated that they will try to pull their states out of the Medicaid program, which they deem unaffordable.

Word is that John Conyers’ HR.676 and Bernie Sanders’ S.703 will be refiled in the coming session. But most observers feel the pendulum has swung back to the states. What a tremendous boost it will be when the first state passes and enacts single payer! Who will be first, Vermont, California, or Hawai’i? My money’s on Vermont. And we’re close enough to help. - Sandy Eaton, RN

“Singing for Single Payer” Shots

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 ~ FALL 2010

Massachusetts Physicians Chose Single Payer

For the first time ever, the Massachusetts Medical Society has asked doctors what they think about health reform in its annual "Physician Workforce Survey" of 1,000 practicing physicians in the state. Doctors picked single payer health reform over a public option, over high-deductible plans and over the current Massachusetts health reform law - in short, over every other option presented.

Strikingly, of all the options presented, the current Massachusetts health reform law of 2006, which serves as the model for the Obama administration’s new law, received the least support! (It should be noted that these questions were prepared and responded to prior to the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was signed into law March 23, 2010 by President Obama).

The following question was asked of each of the respondents: Which of the following options should be included in US health care reform? (Please read each of the following options carefully and check only one.)

1. Single-payer national health care system offering universal health care to all US residents - 34%

2. Both public and private plans with a public buy-in option (allow businesses and individuals to enroll in a public Medicare-like health insurance plan that would compete with private plans) - 32%

3. Keep the existing mix of public and private plans, but allow insurers to sell plans with limited benefits and high deductibles to keep premiums low. State subsidies would help low-income individuals buy insurance. Individuals could choose to buy a less expensive catastrophic plan, more expensive comprehensive coverage, or no insurance at all. - 17%

4. Model health care reform on the Massachusetts health law of 2006, offering a national insurance exchange, government subsidies to low-income people to purchase health insurance, a mandate requiring residents who are not eligible for subsidized health plans to buy insurance or be fined, and fine employers who do not offer adequate health care plans to their employees. - 14%

5. Other (please specify). - 3%

Physicians are moving toward single payer Medicare-For-All and so are the people of Massachusetts as shown by the single payer ballot question that passed in all 14 districts that it was in! We can keep the movement growing!! - Pat Berger, MD

The Updated Healthcare Trust Bill

Mass-Care is delighted that Senator Jamie Eldridge will again be the lead sponsor for our updated Massachusetts Health Care Trust bill that will be filed in January 2011. This year Mass-Care has added a funding section to the bill based on the work of Gerald Friedman, an economist at UMass-Amherst.

In the updated bill, funding for the Health Care Trust will come from three sources. First, monies from the federal and state programs like Medicare Part A, Medicaid and CHIP would continue to fund the Health Care Trust. Second, a 10% levy on payrolls above $30,000 (7.5% on employers, 2.5% on employees) and a 10% levy on the incomes of the self-employed will replace the premiums, deductibles and co-pays that individuals and employers have to pay now. The proposed payroll taxes will result in savings for the vast majority of employers and employees. It will also relieve businesses from having to provide health insurance for their employees, will eliminate the uncertainty of spiraling insurance premiums and provide a level field for business since all businesses will pay the same taxes. The third funding source is a 12.5 % levy on unearned income above $10,000, which will be paid primarily by people in the highest income brackets and will make the entire funding of the Health Care Trust more progressive.

Friedman has calculated that with a single-payer system there will be a 15.75% total savings in health care expenditures. His analysis of the cost and funding of the Massachusetts Health Care Trust will be very useful in explaining the rationale behind our proposal to legislators and to the public. We will need everyone from across the state to become active in lobbying our Representatives and Senators to sign on as co-sponsors of the Health Care Trust bill. Please contact the office at info@masscare.org if you are willing to work in local groups to contact your legislators. Mass-Care will be setting up meetings with the legislators and a Lobby Day in January.

You are needed!!! Join the campaign!!! - Judy Deutsch

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 ~ FALL 2010

Benefits of an Internship with Mass-Care

I am a Senior at Northeastern preparing to hopefully matriculate into a Masters of Public Health program right after graduation in May 2011. As a student at Northeastern University, I understand the importance of real-world experience coupled with academic coursework in preparation for life post-undergraduate.

I started working at Mass-Care in September of this year. I had the opportunity to collaborate with organizations such as Jobs for Justice and CHEERS/Critical Mass. It was refreshing to work in an environment where everyone comes from a different background and brings something unique to the table. Everyone that I met demonstrated political drive, intellect and true compassion for community involvement and service. My superiors and peers all pushed me and gave me freedom to develop my leadership skills.

I recently represented Mass-Care at the annual Healthcare-NOW strategic conference in Philadelphia. The main focus was to create strategies to mobilize community organizers and leaders to move state legislatures to pass single-payer. With our recent success in passing a single payer ballot question in 14 districts, Massachusetts was held in high regard among those who attended the conference. While I was intimidated initially with the amount of responsibility I was given, I embraced it and was deeply humbled by the experience.

I understand the insurance and healthcare system more after working with Mass-Care. I have developed research and management skills and created a network outside of school. I hope to utilize the skills I developed at Mass-Care to encourage other students to learn about single-payer and start taking an interest in healthcare politics and legislation. - Asha Cesar

CommonHealth, Volume 4, Number 2:Director: Benjamin DayEditor: Sandy EatonPhotography: Judy Deutsch, Sandy Eaton, Katie MurphyProduction: Erin ServaesPrinting compliments of the Massachusetts Nurses Association

Mass-Care Needs Your Generosity

Single payer Medicare-for-All is the people’s choice! Now we need to make our legislators hear our voices! We have momentum but we need to be heard in the media, the talk shows, in our local organizations, and especially in the halls of the State House. To accomplish our goals Mass-Care needs your financial support. The end of year giving is vitally important to expand Mass-Care’s outreach and influence. We need to convince at least 50 more legislators to support our updated Health Care Trust bill, we need to work with small businesses, we need to reach the communities that have been the victims of disparities in health care accessibility and affordability. Please be as generous as possible so Massachusetts can achieve health care as a right for everyone!