This is an introduction to the various players on the MA health care scene.
Note the two-pronged strategy by the coalition of groups led by Health Care for All: Legislation on one hand, ballot initiative on the other.
- Health Care for All (HCFA): The most prominent and veteran advocacy group committed to expanding access to health care, now 20 years old. They created the Health Access and Affordability Act and its sister ballot initiative, the Massachusetts Quality Affordable Health Care Act (MQAHCA). Led by Executive Director and former state rep John McDonough, who has an indispensible and readable blog.
They generally push for significant but incremental reform; from their brochure: "HCFA switched in 1994 to advocating for policies that might quickly expand health crea coverage to the thousands of uninsured residents who couldn’t wait until the political mood of the country changed".
- ACT: Affordable Care Today! This is the umbrella organization for the coalition of groups supporting HCFA’s bill in the legislature. The group includes the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Cambridge Health Alliance, Children’s Hospital, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, SEIU locals 615 and 2020, and many others.
- MassACT: related to ACT, this is the umbrella organization gathering signatures for the ballot initiative. They are starting signature gathering this weekend — sign up here to help out. (It’s not hard.) 66,000 signatures are required to get the act on the ballot in 2006; 100,000 signatures, gotten in just a couple of weeks, would send a clear message to the legislature that they should do it themselves. Leverage.
- Health Care for Massachusetts: unfortunately similar name to HCFA, but laudable goals: They want to pass a state constitution amendment calling for "comprehensive, affordable, and equitably financed health insurance coverage" for all Massachusetts residents. The Constitutional Convention of September 14 was supposed to deal with this, but they only got to gay marriage. The group is confident that the May 10, 2006 ConCon will deal with the issue.
- MassCare: (UPDATE, from commenter cap404): This is the umbella group representing a statewide coalition of organizations that advocate a Single Payer system, and that is endorsing the Tolman-Hynes Healthcare Trust Bill.
- Robert Travaglini, Senate President: Announced in November his plan to cut in half the number of uninsured in Massachusetts. His plan notably includes a reinsurance scheme by which the state would pick up much of the cost of the most expensive health care cases. This would be good for insurers, since they get some cost containment. Hopefully they would then be more likely to expand the range of people they want to cover. He is likely to be squeezed between the governor’s plan (called "Yugo health care" by some) and the more ambitious plans supported by HCFA/ACT.
(For more on reinsurance, see this profile on New York State’s plan: "The Healthy New York (NY) Program is a state-subsidized reinsurance mechanism that reimburses health plans for 90 percent of claims paid between $5,000 and $75,000 on behalf of a member in a calendar year.")
- Finally, Governor Mitt Romney: Proposes a personal mandate for all to insure themselves; but somehow won’t spend new money to cover them. Proposes using free-care money to insure people — actually not a bad idea. Advocates creating bare-bones insurance programs with high deductibles and co-pays, which therefore will have little preventative value or benefit to taxpayers or the economy at large.
Nice round up, Charley!
It would be quite interesting if residents of MA were able to get a constitutional amendment for universal health care on the ballot.I’m sure those who favor the ban on marriage equality would for the most part, oppose this amendment. This would almost ensure that the number of legislators that need to approve a citizen initiated amendment would be changed to a greater #.And the trend is going our way — the supporters of universal health care among the legislature can only increase; the opponents of marriage equality among the legislature can only decrease.
Where is MassCare?This is the umbella group representing a statewide coalition of organizations that advocate a Single Payer system,and that is endorsing the Tolman-Hynes Healthcare Trust Bill.Single Payer is on the table and in committee, despite the wishes of John McDonough and Blue Cross-Blue Shield.
cap404: I’m adding that now.I wouldn’t slag HCFA. You guys are on the same side — don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
I am happy to hear of the HFCA. We really need to work on improving our health care system. Health insurance is a major aspect to many.