A Yuletide Apocalypse

From the Health Care for Massachusetts Campaign:

This campaign is a citizen-led initiative to ensure that every Massachusetts resident has access to affordable, comprehensive and equitably financed coverage for medically necessary health and mental health care services. The proposed Health Care Constitutional Amendment requires the Commonwealth to enact laws to accomplish this goal.

Some people have asked “Do we need the Health Care Constitutional Amendment now that we have a health reform bill?”

The answer is: “Yes, Now More Than Ever!”

We need the Health Care Constitutional Amendment now more than ever to make sure the promise of these current health reforms are fulfilled and that we have the tools to finish the job if we need them to ensure that comprehensive coverage for everyone is affordable and sustainable over time.

History tells us that legislation by itself is not enough. The employer mandate in the 1988 Universal Health Care Law was repealed before it was ever implemented. History also tells us that even a ballot initiative for a law may not be enough. The people enacted the Clean Elections Law only to be stalled and eventually repealed by the Legislature. The only major, progressive reform that has been fully implemented - education reform - has a constitutional anchor backed up by the Supreme Judicial Court.

The Health Care Amendment creates that constitutional anchor for affordable, comprehensive, equitable coverage. It will make sure that the promise of today’s reform is fulfilled and that if additional reform is needed tomorrow, we’ll have the political and legal tools we need to get the job done.

Sincerely,
Barbara Roop, PhD, JD :: Campaign Co-Chair
John Goodson, MD :: Campaign Co-Chair
Email: mcarr@healthcareformass.org
Phone: 617-868-1280
Web: http://www.healthcareformass.org

Yay
They’re just really great people fighting for a good cause… I worked there for the past few summers and it is just a terrific place!