The Alliance to Defend Health Care is fulfilling its mission to achieve equal access to quality health care for all through a variety of outreach, education and advocacy projects.  See "Events" section on homepage and info below for details.

Advocacy

click here for info on new state health law, "Chapter 58"

read below for info on the Healthcare Amendment

click here for July 2007 Newsweek article "We can afford Universal Healthcare" (extols Medicare For All reform)

State ConCon Denies the Health Care Amendment a Final Vote on Its Merits

On January 2, 2007, the Legislature meeting in the final Constitutional Convention of the 2005-2006 legislative session denied the Health Care Amendment its second and final up or down vote on its merits as required by Article 48 of the Constitution ( Click here to read the State House News story).

Before the HCA could be put to a vote on its merits it first needed to be discharged from the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing where it has sat untouched since the July 12, 2006 Constitutional Convention.

The motion to discharge the HCA from committee needed a 2/3 vote to be successful and failed 92-101 ( Click here to view the roll call vote).

Before the ConCon ducked a vote on the HCA it did give an up or down vote to the other initiative petition on the calendar - the gay marriage ban.  By deciding to vote on one initiative petition but not the other less than a week after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a unanimous opinion that the Legislature must vote up or down on the merits of every initiative it violated the people's constitutional rights and ignored the ruling of the Court.

The people of the commonwealth should be genuinely outraged that its Legislature feels it can pick and choose when to obey the Constitution as it pleases them.  It usurped the people's right to amend the constitution and having declared itself above the law turned its back on the voters by choosing to vote on a same sex marriage ban opposed by 2/3 of the public and ducking a vote on the HCA which enjoys the support of over 75% of the public.

The Health Care Amendment's 3-year legislative journey is over.   Now we will start reviewing our legal options.

***

July 12, 2006 State House News Service Coverage on Health Care Amendment:
"The Legislature on Wednesday afternoon dealt a huge blow to thousands of citizen activists pushing a plan to make health insurance access a constitutional right, rerouting the petition to a committee where most on Beacon Hill believe it will die....

Citizen volunteers were shocked, Eldridge Malone said, and felt they would have prevailed had lawmakers voted on the amendment itself. "It felt like a slap in the face to democracy," she said. "It was a slap in the face to citizens who have given their all for three years." ..." (SHNS article continued)

JULY 13, 2006: Call Your Legislators and Senate Pres. Travaglini after checking here to see if they voted YES on a motion sponsored by Sen. Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge) to send the Health Care Amendment to a "Study Committee". These 118 YES votes, that we have been told were ordered by the legislative "leadership", effectively killed this Constitutional Amendment for 2006. The 118 who voted Yes have stepped into the Health Care Hall of Shame. The 76 who voted NO on the study motion are Health Care Heroes.
State House main #617-722-2000. PLEASE use your voice and three minutes of your time to let them know what you think of their vote and that you will keep working on this citizen volunteer-driven effort to establish health care as a permanent right and to end uninsurance in Massachusetts FOREVER.  To find your legislators click here.

Advocacy-Related Articles from Past Newsletters

Four plans to expand health insurance coverage in Massachusetts

Constitutional Amendment Update - New Poll Results

Reorganization of Legislature's Health Committees

RN-to-Patient Staffing Bill Reintroduced

Summer Reading for Health Reform Advocates

Clinician as Activist: Public Speaking Creates Powerful Alliances

Constitutional Amendment Protecting Right to Health Care to be on Massachusetts Ballot in 2006

Update on Chapter 141 and the Office of Patient Protection

Safe RN Staffing Update

A Brief Look at the Current State of Mental Health Treatment

Constitutional Amendment for Health Care Campaign Needs Your Help

Research Projects

Professional Satisfaction Survey of MDs, RNs, and SWs (PDF)
The Alliance to Defend Health Care's 2002-2003 statewide survey of Mass. Doctors, registered nurses, and social workers shows that all share high levels of professional dissatisfaction.

Safe Nurse Staffing Saves Lives
A statewide survey of 600 Massachusetts RNs find them in agreement with the results of the Alliance to Defend Health Care's own survey on professional satisfaction; findings indicate professional agreement that lower nurse-to-patient ratios lead to higher patient mortality, professional burnout and retention problems.

Reports

Analysis of the Advisory Committee on Consolidated Health Care Financing
The Advisory Committee on Consolidated Health Care Financing, commissioned by the Managed Care Act of 2000, released its report in December 2002. The year-and-a-half process leading to the report offers valuable insight into the health care reform prospects for the Commonwealth and important lessons for the future of reform.