Fall 2010 issue of "CommonHealth," the biannual newsletter of the Universal Health Care Education Fund (UHCEF) and Mass-Care.

1. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 ~ FALL 2010
CommonHealth
2010 Ballot Question for Single
Payer 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!
“Singing for Single Payer” a Great Success
In 2008 voters in 10 out of 10 districts also supported a Glorious music filled the sanctuary of Saint Paul’s Episcopal
similar ballot question, demonstrating continued voter Church, Brookline, at the Mass-Care Benefit Concert on
support for single payer through 2010, even in a year of November 12. Beginning with the exuberant Joyful Voices of
political change and drawn-out economic suffering. The Inspiration, a gospel chorus, and ending with the foot-stomping
voters support healthcare as a right for all residents. They tunes of jazz/blues group Outrageous Fortune, the audience
voted for an equitable system that doesn’t discriminate by enjoyed a full evening of entertainment. Other featured
age, state of health, or employment status, and they voted musicians were up-coming singer/songwriter Ryan Schmidt, the
to have publicly supported healthcare through a fair tax a capella group Treble on Huntington from Northeastern
system that provides cost effective, comprehensive medical University and the comic songs of Damaged Care with Dr. Barry
care for all residents. Levy.
The new question for Massachusetts is whether the
Kitty Dukakis served as a gracious mistress of ceremonies, and
legislators get the message of the people. The reason the
Governor Mike Dukakis’ keynote remarks highlighted the long
ballot question was put forward was to demonstrate to the
history of failed attempts to attain universal health insurance
state representatives that the voters in their districts
for all in the United States, in contrast to the situation in most
want them to support the Massachusetts single payer
other industrialized countries. His remarks were well received
Health Care Trust bill. The updated Health Care Trust bill
by an audience of over 120 people. Delicious refreshments
will be refiled in January 2011. That is the time the
including a variety of home-baked delights, fruit and cranberry/
residents of the Commonwealth will have a second chance to
pineapple punch added to the friendly intermingling of
voice their support for Single Payer Medicare-for-all. Mass-
performers and the audience during intermission. The
Care will have a Lobby Day in mid January to strengthen our
Fundraising Committee thanks all who brought refreshments
message and organize groups to speak with their legislators
and helped serve them.
about co-sponsoring the Health Care Trust bill. We have
the power to make the legislators hear our message if we
Organizing all of this was Pat Berger, with help from members
work at it, and don’t give up! - Pat Berger, MD
of the committee, including Vic Bloomberg, Joseph Lilleyman,
Ben Day, John Blanchard, Bea Mikulecky and interns Asha Cesar
Universal Health Care Education Fund c/o Mass-Care and Nivedita Poola. The committee is happy to report that the
33 Harrison Avenue, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02111
P: 617-723-7001, F: 617-723-7002 concert brought in substantial funding for Mass-Care. - Bea
info@masscare.org http://www.masscare.org Mikulecky

2. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 ~ FALL 2010
So what happened on November 2nd? “Singing for Single Payer” Shots
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

3. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2 ~ FALL 2010
Massachusetts Physicians Chose Single Payer The Updated Healthcare Trust Bill
For the first time ever, the Massachusetts Medical Society Mass-Care is delighted that Senator Jamie Eldridge will
has asked doctors what they think about health reform in again be the lead sponsor for our updated Massachusetts
its annual "Physician Workforce Survey" of 1,000 Health Care Trust bill that will be filed in January 2011.
practicing physicians in the state. Doctors picked single This year Mass-Care has added a funding section to the
payer health reform over a public option, over high- bill based on the work of Gerald Friedman, an economist
deductible plans and over the current Massachusetts at UMass-Amherst.
health reform law - in short, over every other option
presented. In the updated bill, funding for the Health Care Trust will
come from three sources. First, monies from the federal
Strikingly, of all the options presented, the current
and state programs like Medicare Part A, Medicaid and
Massachusetts health reform law of 2006, which serves as
CHIP would continue to fund the Health Care Trust.
the model for the Obama administration’s new law,
Second, a 10% levy on payrolls above $30,000 (7.5% on
received the least support! (It should be noted that these
employers, 2.5% on employees) and a 10% levy on the
questions were prepared and responded to prior to the
incomes of the self-employed will replace the premiums,
passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
deductibles and co-pays that individuals and employers
which was signed into law March 23, 2010 by President
have to pay now. The proposed payroll taxes will result in
Obama).
savings for the vast majority of employers and employees.
It will also relieve businesses from having to provide
The following question was asked of each of the
health insurance for their employees, will eliminate the
respondents:
uncertainty of spiraling insurance premiums and provide a
level field for business since all businesses will pay the
Which of the following options should be included in US
same taxes. The third funding source is a 12.5 % levy on
health care reform? (Please read each of the following
unearned income above $10,000, which will be paid
options carefully and check only one.)
primarily by people in the highest income brackets and
will make the entire funding of the Health Care Trust more
1. Single-payer national health care system offering progressive.
universal health care to all US residents - 34%
2. Both public and private plans with a public buy-in Friedman has calculated that with a single-payer system
option (allow businesses and individuals to enroll in a there will be a 15.75% total savings in health care
public Medicare-like health insurance plan that would expenditures. His analysis of the cost and funding of the
compete with private plans) - 32% Massachusetts Health Care Trust will be very useful in
3. Keep the existing mix of public and private plans, but explaining the rationale behind our proposal to legislators
allow insurers to sell plans with limited benefits and and to the public. We will need everyone from across the
high deductibles to keep premiums low. State state to become active in lobbying our Representatives
subsidies would help low-income individuals buy and Senators to sign on as co-sponsors of the Health Care
insurance. Individuals could choose to buy a less Trust bill. Please contact the office at info@masscare.org if
expensive catastrophic plan, more expensive you are willing to work in local groups to contact your
comprehensive coverage, or no insurance at all. - 17% legislators. Mass-Care will be setting up meetings with
4. Model health care reform on the Massachusetts health the legislators and a Lobby Day in January.
law of 2006, offering a national insurance exchange,
government subsidies to low-income people to You are needed!!! Join the campaign!!! - Judy Deutsch
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

4. 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
Mass-Care Needs Your Generosity humbled by the experience.
Single payer Medicare-for-All is the people’s choice! I understand the insurance and healthcare system more after
Now we need to make our legislators hear our
working with Mass-Care. I have developed research and
voices! We have momentum but we need to be heard
in the media, the talk shows, in our local management skills and created a network outside of school. I hope
organizations, and especially in the halls of the to utilize the skills I developed at Mass-Care to encourage other
State House. To accomplish our goals Mass-Care students to learn about single-payer and start taking an interest
needs your financial support. The end of year giving in healthcare politics and legislation. - Asha Cesar
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!
CommonHealth, Volume 4, Number 2:
Director: Benjamin Day
Editor: Sandy Eaton
Photography: Judy Deutsch, Sandy Eaton, Katie Murphy
Production: Erin Servaes
Printing compliments of the Massachusetts Nurses Association