Health Care
Working families across the state are being crushed by the rising cost of health care. It's time for Medicare for All.
We're failing to get people the healthcare they need
Medicare for All
State-level Medicare for All could save us money while making healthcare free for every resident of the Commonwealth. This is an area we should be leading in.
Drug Prices
Prescription drug prices in the United States are significantly higher than most other countries, and the problem is only getting worse. We need regulation to ensure everyone can get the medicine they need, regardless of personal income or financial position. Unless the Legislature takes action, pharmaceutical companies will be able to further exploit prescription drug pricing for a greater and greater profit, at the expense of patients who need them.
Essential Services
Healthcare companies have closed important services like maternity wards in certain hospitals because they are costly to run. This puts residents at risk when they have to drive farther to get the care they need. Our for-profit health care system prioritizes services that are profitable over services that patients need, effectively denying patients necessary care.
bills to support Healthcare as a Human Right
Medicare for All
Establishes a single-payer health care system in Massachusetts
Provides health care for all Massachusetts residents and individuals who work more than 20 hours per week in the state without premiums, co-pays, or deductibles
Bans private insurance coverage for services already covered by the single-payer system
Prevent Premature Shutdown of Essential Health Services
Make it harder for hospitals or healthcare companies from closing essential services without an adequate notice period
Prevent hospitals / health companies from expanding 3 years after the closure unless the essential service is restored
common questions:
Won't Single-payer Healthcare cost too much?
No, in fact a Single-payer healthcare system will save up to $21 billion per year. Much of that cost savings come from reduced insurance company overhead. Instead of paying premiums, co-pays, and a litany of other confusing charges, you will pay a small tax -- smaller than what you're already paying for healthcare.
Will Medicare for All increase wait times and result in rationing care?
No. Studies show that countries with universal single-payer health care systems have on average lower wait times than the United States. Patients are also no longer restricted to seeking care from providers that are in their insurance network, so the range of options patients enjoy are larger under a single-payer system. This enables providers to be able to keep up with demand, instead of having to work around the artificial limits that insurance companies place on patients and providers.
learn more:
Mass Care: Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare
Western Mass Medicare for All
Healthcare-Now! (National Medicare for All)
References:
- 1. Klufts, Jamie “In Support of a Single Payer Healthcare System”, NASW-MA, 11/14/2017
- 2. “Medical Debt in Massachusetts”, Massachusetts Health Reform Survey, 2012
- 3. Friedman, Gerald, 2018 Study for Mass. Medicare for All, 2018
- 4. “Health and the City” Boston University School of Public Health, March 8, 2015
- 4b. Additional life expectancy disparities within MA (not within Boston): “Disparities in life expectancy in Massachusetts driven by societal factors,” Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 2018
- 5. “Health Insurance: Premiums and Increases” National Conference of State Legislatures, 12/4/2018
- 6. “Report Finds Medical Debt Increasing”, 2/27/2007
- 7. “Medical Debt in Massachusetts”, Massachusetts Health Reform Survey, 2012
- 8. “The Remaining Uninsured in Massachusetts” Feb 2016
- 9. Friedman, Gerald, 2018 Study for Mass. Medicare for All, 2018
- 10. 190th Session (2017-2018) Bill never received a vote but was instead “combined” with dozens of other healthcare bills into a new draft which didn’t establish Medicare for all.
- 10b. 189th Session (2015-2016) Bill sent to Study. No Study ever conducted
- 10c. 188th Session (2013-2014): Bill sent to study. No Study ever conducted
- 10d. 187th Session (2011-2012): Bill sent to study. No Study ever conducted
- 11. In the 190th Session (2017-2018), a bill by Rep. Bensen was introduced to study the costs of a single payer healthcare system. The bill was “combined” with many other Healthcare bills in H4605, but without the single payer benchmark study.