Spring 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 1 ~ SPRING 2010
CommonHealth
National Health Reform: What it means for Massachusetts
The Health Reform Law passed this March will immediately
give Massachusetts residents some help, but many changes
will be postponed for several years.
Starting 2010:
• Children may remain on their parents’ health policies until
age 26 (up from 23)
• Medicare recipients will receive a $250 rebate to help in
closing the “doughnut hole” for medication costs
• Health insurance companies will be banned from excluding
children from coverage because of pre-existing
conditions, and adults with pre-existing conditions will be
eligible for coverage through temporary high risk pools
• Health insurance companies will be prohibited from
setting annual and lifetime limits on coverage.
• All new health plans will have to offer coverage for
preventive services with no co-pays (established health
plans have until 2018 to comply)
• Early retirees (55 to 64) will receive some assistance in
health care premiums from a temporary reinsurance fund
• Small businesses (less than 50 employees) are eligible for
a tax credit equal to 35% of their health insurance Keeping Our Issues in the Spotlight
premiums (increases to 50% by 2014)
As so much of recent history has shown us, the people we elect
Problems Remain: to represent us on Beacon Hill and on Capitol Hill make a huge
difference in how far single payer moves forward. Keeping
Most people who have health insurance through their single payer, or Improved Medicare for All, in the public eye
employment will not see much change. Massachusetts serves many goals. It notifies the candidate that the moral,
already mandates that everyone must buy insurance or pay social and fiscal issue of a publicly-funded, privately-delivered
a stiff fine. The premiums for health insurance will continue health plan is a goal that needs to be on the top of their lists at
to go up, since the bill contains no significant cost control all times. Candidates are made aware that their constituents
measures. Many middle-income people will find the only are supporters of single payer and will work for those
policies they can afford may not cover their medical candidates willing to fight for it. As we speak up in town
expenses, leaving them vulnerable to bankruptcies or meetings, city council chambers and local State House candidate
foreclosures. There will still be over 300,000 uninsured in meetings, other participants become educated on single payer.
Massachusetts. The long term financial stability of both At a recent meeting with Congressman Ed Markey (D-07), he
the national and the Massachusetts health reform laws is told several of us that a close family member is a public health
questionable, since neither contain cost control mechanisms physician and has been discussing this with him for over twenty
to eliminate huge administrative waste, fragmentation of years! - Katie Murphy, Framingham
care and unreasonable profits taken by the insurance and
pharmaceutical industries. The only system that can achieve
Universal Health Care Education Fund c/o Mass-Care
true universal comprehensive coverage and control costs is
33 Harrison Avenue, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02111
a single-payer system. - Pat Berger, Mass-Care Co-Chair P: 617-723-7001, F: 617-723-7002
info@masscare.org http://www.masscare.org

2. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 ~ SPRING 2010
Health Justice Campaign Opens with Enthusiastic Support
At present there are thirty-nine
representatives and senators that
have signed on as co-sponsors of
On January 25th the Massachusetts
our bill, and with concerted effort we
Campaign for Health Justice was
can more than double that number
launched as over 100 energized
in the next session.
participants from Mass-Care affili-
ates, Jobs with Justice, unions, A second strategy involves sup-
legislators, physicians, nurses, reli- porting members of the coalition
gious groups, social workers, im- who are struggling with issues that
migrant organizations and muni- relate to healthcare injustice,
cipal leaders gathered. The mission including Hyatt workers who were
of the Campaign is to broaden the laid off, Shaw’s workers who were
coalition for health care reform and denied health benefits and nurses
use the increased power to carry out who have been fighting for safe
three specific strategies to achieve a staffing legislation. A final strategy
single payer system for Massa- is to work with groups who have
chusetts. been suffering from healthcare
disparities, including immigrants,
communities of color and low-
income people, to broaden and
strengthen our coalition for health
care justice.
Our legislative strategy is already
underway. We are targeting as many
as forty state representative districts Pictured here:
with ballot initiatives that ask
legislators to support a single payer Presenters: Mass-Care Executive Director
system. Two hundred valid sig- Ben Day; Massachusetts Jobs with Justice
Director Russ Davis; Labor Campaign for
natures of registered voters are
Single Payer National Coordinator Mark
needed in each targeted district and
Dudzik.
volunteers are vital to reach this
number in all the districts. Contact Open Mic, led by Mass-Care Co-Chair
the Mass-Care office to help in this Jackie Wolf: IUE-CWA Local 201 Vice-
important and educational oppor- President Alex Brown; Brockton City
tunity. Mass-Care will be rewriting Councillor Jass Stewart; Mass-Care
our single-payer Health Care Trust Legislative Chair Judy Deutsch; New
bill to be introduced at the England Journal of Medicine Editor-
Emerita Marcia Angell; Mass-Care
beginning of next years’ legislative
activists Vic Bloomberg, Jackie Ballance,
session. In addition, local teams in
Co-Chair Pat Berger.
the targeted legislative districts will
work on getting their legislators to
support single payer.

3. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 ~ SPRING 2010
Spring Fundraiser at Ryles a Huge Success!
Twelfth Annual Mass-Care Single Payer Gala in Memory of Ben Gill
Show tunes, good food and inspiring Barry Levy, MD drew laughter and
remarks created an afternoon of fun much applause for his satirical
and fund-raising for Mass-Care on verses about our current health care
April 17th at Ryles Jazz Club in delivery and financing system set to
Cambridge. the music of familiar Broadway show
tunes. (Check out “Damaged Care”
by Barry Levy on the web - to order
your own copy.)
Long time single payer supporter
and all-around progressive fighter
Arky Markham was the individual
honoree. Known to everyone in the
social justice movement in the
Pioneer Valley, Arky was a founder,
Donna Smith, organizer for National
along with her late husband George
Nurses United, painted a sobering
Markham, of the Franklin Hampshire
picture of the health care reform
Health Care Coalition, the Western
effort after passage of the national
Massachusetts Single Payer Network,
healthcare bill. Donna is working
the National Priorities Project and
with single payer efforts around the
Social Workers for Peace and Justice.
country. She emphasized that
people are looking to Massachusetts
and Mass-Care to keep moving
forward to single payer health
insurance reform. - Jackie Wolf,
Mass-Care Co-Chair
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice was
honored for its work and
commitment to single payer health
care reform. Russ Davis and Jon
Weissman accepted the award. They
introduced two Shaw supermarket Pictured here: Award recipient Arky
employees who were out on strike Markham, JwJ recipients Jenn Doe & Jon
protesting the company’s unilateral Weisman, Damaged Care’s Barry Levy,
health insurance benefit hikes. NNU national organizer Donna Smith,
Shaw’s warehouse strikers, Massa-
chusetts Senior Action Council Cam-
bridge Chapter Membership Coordinator
Ruby Woodbine, Alice Swift of the
Western Massachusetts Single Payer
Network, Marvin Miller of the Ethical
Society of Boston, UE Northeast Region
President Peter Knowlton and veteran
health justice leader Grace Ross.

4. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE EDUCATION FUND ~ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 ~ SPRING 2010
Get Single Payer on the Ballot Support Striking Shaw's Warehouse Workers!
Shall the representative from this district be On March 7th, 2010, Shaw's Methuen warehouse workers were
instructed to support legislation that would given two bad choices; vote in a contract that had a 1% raise that
establish health care as a human right would be eaten by a massive increase in health care costs and
regardless of age, state of health or would allow temp workers to take their jobs, or go on strike. The
employment status, by creating a single payer company said, "If you strike, the next offer will be worse." They
health insurance system like Medicare that is chose to strike to protect their jobs and demand better
comprehensive, cost effective, and publicly treatment. Shaw's has profited off of the tough times of others
provided to all residents of Massachusetts? because many of us are eating in and buying generic. There has
since been one negotiation session with management and a
mediator where any raises and health contributions were taken
The Massachusetts Campaign for Healthcare Justice is
off the table. On April 1st Shaw's cut off the health care of the
spearheading a massive signature campaign to get this
workers and their families including children, pregnant women and
single-payer non-binding question on the ballot for
those with serious medical conditions. These workers are doing
November 2010. We are targeting forty state
what we all should do, standing up to corporate greed. They have
representative districts across Massachusetts.
stood strong for over three months, but they need our help to
keep up the fight. Call Jobs with Justice @ 617-524-8778 to find
Two hundred valid signatures of registered voters are
out what you can do to help in this fight for healthcare justice, or
needed for each district in order to get on the ballot, so
go to this link: http://www.massjwj.net/content/shaws-workers-
our goal is to collect four hundred signatures, to be sure
strike
enough are certified. Mass-Care and Jobs with Justice
are appointing volunteer captains for each district and
We invite you to add your signature to a petition protesting the
need as many volunteers as possible to help with the
termination of health benefits to Shaw's Supermarket workers in
signature collecting. Picking a location where there are
Methuen.
many people gathering such as grocery stores, the post
office, or special events is the easy way to get at least It is hard to think of a better illustration of what is wrong with
twenty signatures in an hour. The deadline for submitting our health care system. Please join us by signing this letter below
petitions to city and town clerks is July 7th.. from health professionals asking the CEO of Supervalu (which
owns Shaw's) not to use access to health care as a bargaining chip
We are hoping to build on-going chapters in these target
against workers. You can sign by replying to this email with your
communities to create the pressure needed to win
full name, degree, title, and affiliation. If you are not a health
sponsorship from the state representative, to build
professional, there is a similar letter from members of the
strong grassroots support for real healthcare reform and
community to which we can add your name. These workers deserve
to carry on the fight for healthcare justice whenever and
better from their employer, and all of us deserve better from our
wherever needed. Call the Mass-Care office
health care system.
617-723-7001 to volunteer now. The deadline is
approaching! You can listen to two of the workers' wives describe how the loss
of health care has affected their families personally in this video
Your financial contributions, as well as your time
clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqrgQLzMv_Q
and energy, are required to keep up all this
momentum. Thank you to the Massachusetts
Teachers Association for your recent generous gift,
but many more contributions large and small are
needed!
CommonHealth, Volume 4, Number 1:
Director: Benjamin Day
Editor & Photographer: Sandy Eaton
Production: Erin Servaes
Printing compliments of Massachusetts Nurses Association