Fall 2005 issue of "CommonHealth," the biannual newsletter of the Universal Health Care Education Fund (UHCEF) and Mass-Care.

1. CommonHealth Volume 2, Number 1 ~ Fall-Winter 2005
Universal Health Care Education Fund
Background 2005
MASS-CARE is nothing more nor less than a coalition of On March 19th, speakers’ training was held, followed by
ninety independent organizations in agreement on two our annual Ben Gill event, honoring our lead sponsors
things: the need to create a single-payer system in Senator Tolman and Representative Hynes. Senator
Massachusetts and the need for national health insurance. Dianne Wilkerson came to present the award to her
MASS-CARE is ten years old, having been launched in senatorial colleague. Dr. Quentin Young of Physicians for
1995 in the wake of 1994’s successful round of local non- a National Health Program was the keynote speaker,
binding ballot questions in support of a single-payer explaining the ethical and legal implications of “everybody
system for Massachusetts, spun off from the Jobs with in, nobody out.”
Justice Health Care Action Committee. Over the years
many organizations, small and large, local or statewide, On June 8th, members of our hardworking Legislative
single-issue or multi-issue, joined. MASS-CARE’s Committee presented our case to the Joint Committee on
direction, within the scope of its mission, is set by those Health Care Financing, even though the day was officially
who attend the monthly Coordinating Committee meetings. devoted to all the incremental bills.
Every participating organization has one vote, and every
individual who shows up has a voice. Some groups have lent
their name to this endeavor while never sending
representatives. And some have clearly put the winning of
a single-payer system on their front burner. Each group
obviously decides its own agenda for itself.
A generous grant from the estate of Dr. Ben Gill allowed
our movement to set up an office and hire staff. Every
year we’ve honored Ben with a gala event in his name. This
initial grant led us to set up the Universal Health Care
Education Fund (UHCEF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm to
support educational work and research.
Over the past decade, MASS-CARE has worked with On June 15th, aided by Sen. Steve Tolman (above), Rep.
legislators to file specific legislation to attain our Frank Hynes and Dr. Alan Sager from the BU School of
primary goal. With the opening of each legislative session, Public Health, we briefed a contingent of legislators and
we’ve filed revised legislation. Our current bill is S.755, An their aides on S.755, The Massachusetts Health Care
Act to Establish the Massachusetts Health Care Trust, Trust. This educational session on the universal, single-
with Senator Steve Tolman and Representative Frank payer solution to our healthcare crisis also featured Drs.
Hynes as lead sponsors. Last fall’s revision of our bill Patricia Downs and Leo Stolbach, the Reverend Judy
included specifics on the funding mechanisms and more Deutsch, and MASS-CARE Chair Sandy Eaton, RN.
attention to the democratic governance of the projected
Trust, with eight directors to be elected across the Testimony on S.755 was presented to the Joint Committee
Commonwealth. on Health Care Financing on July 20th, with a broad array
of labor, community, senior, provider, policy and municipal
Photos by Janne Hellgren & Rand Wilson representatives speaking out for a just healthcare system.
Peggy O’Malley, RN, chair-emerita of MASS-CARE,

2. 2005 continued
delivered fresh information from Congressman Tierney’s strategy should be affordable and sustainable for society;
office on how to obtain waivers to allow Massachusetts to and health care coverage should enhance health and well-
tap into federal revenue streams as we construct our new being by promoting access to high quality care that is
system here. effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered, and
equitable. Another compares the four bills using the three
Driven by the mounting pressure from below for aspects of access, affordability and quality.
fundamental change in health care as reflected in the
campaign to amend the state constitution to make access
to affordable health insurance a right of all who reside
here, and by the need to renew a ten-year-old Medicaid
waiver, every legislator, it seems, has felt obliged to come
up with or support some legislation that purports to cover
everyone. So we’ve seen the emergence of the Moore,
Travaglini and Romney bills, in addition to the Tolman bill.
Modeled after the gargantuan Roadmap to Coverage
proposal authored by the Urban Institute and issued by
the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Foundation on October 7th, the
House has issued its “omnibus” health reform package. As
we write, it sits in conference committee, along with its
Senate counterpart.
It’s exciting to see so much grassroots ferment around
health care right now. We admit to some frustration at
some sloppy reporting that refers to any of the other bills On September 1st, Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall witnessed
as “universal” (since none are), and some literature that an outpouring of support for HR.676, the Conyers
compares these complex bills without including S.755. Medicare for All bill, organized by the Health Care Action
Granted that the insurance lobby is very powerful on Committee of Jobs with Justice. The bulk of the
Beacon Hill, nevertheless, the honest thing to do would be testimony was organized around the three themes of
to compare all the major proposals. Single-payer access, cost and quality, which organizers of the event
supporters have developed several four-way comparisons. realized need to be addressed together. MASS-CARE was
One comparison uses the five principles developed by the well-represented on the panels. Many MASS-CARE
Institute of Medicine in a report to Congress and the member organizations pulled out all the stops to maximize
public last fall: health coverage should be universal; health the impact of this event. Since this meeting was
coverage should be continuous; health coverage should be scheduled for a workday, the Massachusetts Senior
affordable to individuals and families; health insurance Action Council takes the prize for mobilizing the most
participants. Rand Wilson, currently on staff at
IUE/CWA Local 201, wrote up this Congressional hearing
and posted fifty-two action photos on the web.
Members of the Legislative Committee continue to have
frequent meetings with key legislators.
While we welcome the expansion of Medicaid as a stopgap
measure to cover more poor families, we know that this
strategy ultimately leads to a dead end, shunting more
money to the insurance and hospital industries while
providing no vehicle for uniting people for negotiating
with the pharmaceutical corporations to bring down drug
prices. Inevitably, the next economic downturn will bring a
flood of additional families pushed onto the Medicaid rolls
just as the state tax revenues fall. As in the past,
Medicaid will be cut when the need is greatest.

3. 2006
MASS-CARE’s statewide meeting on November 19th
outlined three areas to focus on in the coming year: an
assessment of our legislative support; greater effort to
reach out with editorial letters, op-ed pieces and
appearances on talk shows, cable TV and before live
audiences; and a strategic plan for the upcoming
elections, insisting that all legislative and gubernatorial
candidates support the people instead of the insurance
industry. A subcommittee was appointed to flesh out the
proposal to spin off an individual-member single-payer
organization for the Commonwealth, to build our
grassroots movement more deeply.
We’ve drafted an ambitious budget to support this
ambitious plan. With the generous support of our member
organizations and far-sighted individuals, especially right
now, we’ll start the coming year with a bang. We’re
expanding our grant-writing efforts, and we’ve begun “Our market-based health care system is a colossal
planning for the next Ben Gill gala, slated for March. failure. It costs too much and provides too little. We need
Thanks for all your earlier support, and for your ongoing a single-payer system, just like every other advanced
faith in our prospects to build a just healthcare system! country.” - Marcia Angell, MD, July 20, 2005
Here’s what people are saying: “The private health plans cannot be relied on to ensure
that health care would remain affordable to women who
“Health care is on the minds of lots of people these days. are having difficulties making a living wage.” - Catherine
The bad news is that insurance premiums are rising yet DeLorey, RN, PhD, Women’s Health Institute, July 20, 2005
again. Many people are losing coverage altogether.” - Jean
W. Dillard, RN, Lenox, Berkshire Eagle, April 15, 2005 “The healthcare system we have today fails people who
work hard, play by the rules, and who want to do the best
“Enact the Massachusetts Health Care Trust legislation in for their families and communities and their businesses.”
order to provide availability and affordability of health - Christopher Poteet, Somerville, July 20, 2005
care for all Massachusetts citizens.” - Boston City Council,
July 13, 2005, “Today in Framingham, one out of every seven municipal
dollars is spent on employee health insurance.” - Katie
“For municipalities like mine, the escalating costs of Murphy, RN, Framingham, Chair, Framingham Board of
providing health insurance have forced layoffs and Selectmen, July 20, 2005
reductions in city services.” - Northampton Mayor Mary
Clare Higgins, July 18, 2005 “While throwing more money at the problem may cover a
few more of the uninsured, it continues to fatten the
"The single payer approach, by capping spending and insatiable special interests that are already feeding at
committing to cover all residents of the Commonwealth, the trough.” - Jobs with Justice, October 17, 2005
offers by far the best platform for spending money
carefully, avoiding rationing by ability to pay, and “All but S.755 maintain reliance on a bevy of competing
reducing health care waste." - Alan Sager & Deborah commercial insurance companies.” - Sandy Eaton, RN,
Socolar, $1 Billion Per Week is Enough, July 20, 2005 Quincy, MASS-CARE, Patriot Ledger, October 18, 2005
“Steadily rising costs of health care in the US have “Mandatory health coverage that forces low income
become an intolerable burden on businesses and on local, people to buy bare-bones insurance and punishes those
state and federal government.” - Arnold S. Relman, MD, who can’t with tax penalties or garnishing wages is mean-
July 20, 2005 spirited and abusive.” - Pat Downs Berger, MD, October 22,
2005

4. “The system continues to devour more and more resources “It's no longer reasonable to expect employers to take
without improving itself. This will continue until strong responsibility for employees' health, nor is it reasonable
political leadership emerges to tackle these tough for employees to be at the mercy of differing health
problems.” - James J. Callahan Jr., West Newton, Boston plans.” - Joan Goodwin, Jamaica Plain, Boston Globe,
Globe, October 27, 2005 November 7, 2005
“Those of you who want S.755 enacted now should let your “Who will police the House's requirement that all who can
State Senator and State Representative know now. Calling will purchase private insurance? How will the state
617 722 2000 will get you to the State House increase enrollment into MassHealth if it has failed?” -
switchboard.” - Reverend Judy Deutsch, Legislative Chair, Marguerite Rosenthal, Jamaica Plain, Boston Globe,
MASS-CARE, October 28, 2005 November 8, 2005
“The Tolman/Hynes bill, S.755, is the only ethical and “I recognize that single-payer reform threatens the
economically feasible proposed legislation when judged on multi-billion-dollar insurance industry and would force
the basis of the Institute of Health's Five Principles for down the high profits enjoyed by drug companies.” - Alice
Expansion of Health Care.” - Kathleen Bridgewater, Rothchild, MD, Alliance to Defend Health Care, Boston
League of Women Voters Amherst, October 31, 2005 Globe, November 16, 2005
“Why don't we extend government insurance coverage to “We work hard and scrape by. Other countries see our
everyone, and eliminate the profiteering middlemen?” - government as barbaric because of our lack of universal
Susanne King, MD, Lenox, Berkshire Eagle, November 1, healthcare.” - Susan Tolbert, Greenfield, Boston Globe,
2005 November 20, 2005
“Attaining universal coverage is a worthy goal that would “We should not have to trade one expensive system for a
decrease the strain felt in hospitals and emergency rooms, more expensive and more complex system that covers less.
where the uninsured go for care after their illnesses.” - The single payer alternative is the most reasonable
Berkshire Eagle Editorial, November 2, 2005 substitute.” - Frank Olbris, MTA, UMass - Amherst
“If we cut bureaucracy to Canada's levels, we could save “The Health Care Trust will cover every Massachusetts
$9.4 billion annually, enough to cover all of the 748,000 resident and will have no means testing or eligibility
uninsured in Massachusetts and to improve coverage for requirements other than Massachusetts residency.” -
the rest of us.” - Steffie Woolhandler & David Reverend Judy Deutsch, Sudbury, League of Women
Himmelstein, Cambridge Chronicle, November 3, 2005 Voters of Massachusetts
“Is there anything in this [House] bill about streamlining “Any solution that relies on maintaining a variety of
the healthcare procedures? Is there anything about different plans will only further exacerbate a system
moving toward preventive care?” - Tim Macchio, Roxbury, bloated with administrative bureaucracy.” - Beth Piknick,
November 4, 2005 RN, President, Massachusetts Nurses Association, The
Massachusetts Nurse, November-December 2005
"I'm not happy with [the House bill]. I haven't seen the
final amendments. I have some concerns about it. I think
it's more an insurance bill than a health care bill." -
Secretary of State William Galvin, November 4, 2005
Universal Health Care Education Fund
“We urge you to abandon your ill-conceived proposals for (UHCEF)
health care reform and to adopt, instead, a single payer c/o MASS-CARE
program of universal coverage for the Commonwealth.” - 8 Beacon Street, Suite 26
281 Massachusetts MDs and PAs, November 5, 2005 Boston, MA 02108
P: 617-723-7001
“The primary purpose of health insurance deductibles and F: 617-723-7002
coinsurance has always been to discourage utilization. masscare@aol.com
‘It's the insurance companies, stupid’.” - Art Mazer, MPH, www.masscare.org
Massachusetts Human Services Coalition, November 7, ‘05