Page 2 Massachusetts Nurse September 2003

Nurses’ guide to single-payer reform Hearing and Lobby Day on Oct. 8 for the Massachusetts Health Care Trust

The time has come for you to show your of the premium, and, on average, earn about • Attend the Oct. 8 hearing on S.686 Robert Havern, D-Arlington; Brian Joyce, support for S.686 and single-payer health 20 percent less than we would otherwise to • Give S.686 a favorable committee D-Milton; David Magnani, D-Framingham; care in Massachusetts. A legislative public cover the employer’s share. Then we pay cash report so that it progresses through Thomas McGee, D-Lynn; Joan Menard, D- hearing will be at 10 a.m., Oct. 8 in Gardner out of pocket for co-pays and deductibles. the legislative process. Somerset; Andrea Nuciforo, D-Pittsfi eld; Auditorium at the Statehouse. Businesses and individuals who buy liabil- Robert O’Leary, D-Cape and Islands; Marc Please attend the hearing in and ity insurance (auto, homeowners, product) Health Care Committee members Pacheco, D-Taunton; Pamela Resor, D-Acton; help lobby our legislators. pay for health care coverage for the people Sen. Richard Moore, Uxbridge, Senate Stan Rosenberg, D-Northampton; Charles Bus transportation can be arranged though hurt, regardless of whether those people chair; Sen. Jarrett Barrios, Cambridge, Senate Shannon, D-Winchester; Dianne Wilkerson, MASS-CARE. Call Julia for more information already have coverage—and only insurance vice chair and co-sponsor, S.686; Sen. Har- D-Boston. or to RSVP: 617-723-7001 or 800-383-1973. companies benefi t from this duplicative riet Chandler, Worcester; Sen. Susan Fargo, arrangement. Lincoln, co-sponsor, S.686; Sen. Susan Tucker, House co-sponsors and supporters What the Massachusetts Health Care By replacing private dollars with public Andover; Sen. Bruce Tarr, Gloucester. , D-Newton; Deborah Blumer, Trust does ones and making funding of health care Rep. Peter Koutoujian, Newton: House D-Framingham; Mark Carron, D-Southbridge; This legislation guarantees that every Mas- more equitable, most individuals and Mas- chair; Rep. Christine Canavan, Brockton, Edward Connolly, D-Everett; Robert Correia, sachusetts resident has fi rst class health care D-Fall River; Michael Costello, D-Newbury- coverage by replacing the current patchwork port; Paul Demakis, D-Back Bay; , of public and private health care plans with Universal single payer health care D-Medford; Christopher Donelan, D-Orange; a uniform and comprehensive health plan. It Carol Donovan, D-Woburn; James Eldridge, creates a single public entity called the Health D-Acton; Christopher Fallon, D-Malden; Care Trust to replace all the present public and Mark Falzone, D-Saugus; Michael Festa, private bureaucracies. The trust, appointed D-Melrose; Gloria Fox, D-Roxbury; Patricia by the governor, will have representation Haddad, D-Somerset; Patricia Jehlen, D- from consumers, professionals and govern- Somerville; , D-Sharon; Rachel ment. It will: Kaprielian, D-Watertown; Jay Kaufman, 1. Oversee the delivery of health care D-Lexington; , D-Newton; Peter services to Massachusetts’s residents, Kocot, D-Northampton; Stephen Kulik, D- with emphasis on universality, rational Turners Falls; Elizabeth Malia , D-Jamaica and effective allocation of resources, Plain; Jim Marzilli, D-Arlington; James Miceli, preventive medicine and the need D-Wilmington; Shirley Owens-Hicks, D-Rox- for health care choices to be made by bury; Matthew Patrick, D-Falmouth; Anne provider and patient. Paulsen, D-Belmont; Douglas Petersen, D- 2. Collect and disburse funds for the Marblehead; Cheryl Rivera, D-Springfi eld; purpose of providing comprehensive , D-South End; , health care for all residents of the D-Brookline; Joyce Spiliotis, D-Peabody; commonwealth. These funds will Karen Spilka, D-Ashland; , D- derive from current state and federal Amherst; David Sullivan, D-Fall River; expenditures for medical care, addi- , D-Springfi eld; Kathleen tional public and private sources to Teahan , D-Whitman; Timothy Toomey, D- be proposed by the Trust following Cambridge; Anthony Verga, D-Gloucester; completion of a study undertaken Martin Walsh, D-Dorchester; Steven Walsh, by the Legislature and sales taxes on D-Lynn; Alice Wolf, D-Cambridge. products that tend to increase health If your legislator is not on the list, call and costs. tell them that you expect them to sign on as 3. Negotiate or set fair and reasonable Mark your calendar a co-sponsor or supporter. methods and rates of compensation To locate your legislator, visit the Web site with providers of medical services Public hearing and Lobby Day www.state.ma.us/legis/citytown.htm. and with health care facilities and Supporters of S.686 approve capital expenditures in excess 10 a.m. of $500,000. Massachusetts Statehouse, Gardner Auditorium Massachusetts’s voters have consistently supported a universal, single-payer health Why we need this bill care system like the one that will be created Massachusetts spends more on health sachusetts businesses would, on average, House vice chair; Rep. William Galvin, by this bill. A 1986 referendum directing the care than any other state in the U.S., yet pay no more than they do now for health Canton; Rep. , Dracut; Rep. Legislature to call on the U.S. Congress to over a million of its residents have no health care. Coordinating funding through a single Thomas A. Golden Jr., Lowell; Rep. Rachel enact a national health care program was insurance or are underinsured! We already payer (Health Care Trust) will save enough in Kaprielian, Watertown, co-sponsor, S.686; approved by more than 66 percent of the spend enough on health care in the com- administrative costs to pay for the health care Rep. Kathleen Teahan, Whitman, co-spon- voters statewide. A subsequent single-payer monwealth to provide quality care for all needs of all Massachusetts residents. Over sor, S.686; Rep. , Somerset, referendum in 1994 was approved by over half of our residents. Under this bill, money that time, savings from planning and positive co-sponsor, S.686; Rep. Robert Coughlin, of the voters in eight districts. In 1998, voters currently goes to administrative costs such changes in service delivery could also save. Dedham; Rep. Shirley Gomes, Harwich; in three legislative districts overwhelmingly as paperwork, marketing and profi ts would Unlike our present health care system, the Rep. Susan Gifford, Wareham. approved a referendum question calling for a be spent on providing care. In 1987 we had system created by this bill allows patients real If your legislators are listed below as co- single payer health care system. Another local 368,000 uninsured in Massachusetts; in 1997 choice. They can pick their provider or elect sponsors of S.686, ask them to testify on Oct. referendum was overwhelmingly approved that fi gure stood at 755,000. The number of to enroll in HMOs. Care decisions will be 8. If your legislators are not listed, please be in 1999 and three in 2000. uninsured has more than doubled since then made by patient and provider together with sure to contact them and explain why you, as A long list of organizations and groups despite the fact that we added over 140,000 the goal of maximizing health rather than a nurse, support S.686 and ask them for their support a single-payer health care system, to the public rolls. by insurance companies trying to maximize support on Oct. 8. including: the Mass Public Health Asso- We currently pay for health care many profi ts. Peer review, utilization review and ciation; Mass Senior Action Council; United times over. As taxpayers, we pay for the capital spending approval requirements will Legislative lead sponsors Auto Workers CAP Council; League of public programs that make up almost half prevent inappropriate uses of resources. Senate: Steve Tolman, D-Brighton Women Voters; Unitarian Universalists; of direct health care spending. We pay for If your senator and/or representative is a House: Frank Hynes, D-Marshfi eld Latino Health Institute; and Massachusetts tax subsidies for employers who offer health member of the Health Care Committee, you Nurses Association. MASS-CARE is the insurance, whether our own employer offers have a special role to play as a constituent. Senate co-sponsors and supporters umbrella organization whose purpose is to coverage or not. As individuals, if we get Please contact members of the Health Care Jarrett Barrios, D-Cambridge; Cynthia develop and build grass roots support for employer-based coverage, we pay our share Committee urging them to: Creem, D-Newton; Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln; such a system.