Suggested testimony for Democratic Party Hearings
This is the piece that is being sent to every member of the Democratic Party Action Agenda Committee. You can use it to shape your own testimony if you wish. In any case you should put in your own or your group's perspective.
SUPPORT INCLUDING SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE IN THE
2003 MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM ACTION AGENDA
The Massachusetts Democratic Party Platform supports the creation of a single payer health care for system in Massachusetts. The support is stated as, “Our Party supports the creation of single payer health care system both in Massachusetts and in the nation in order to achieve the goal of universal health care”. This support has been included in every Massachusetts Democratic Party Platform and Action Agenda since 1993. It is even more important that it be included in the 2003 Action Agenda.
Single Payer Health Care is a unifying issue
Over the last 10 years the Republicans have gotten themselves in trouble whenever they try to attack or undermine Social Security or Medicare. There is a simple reason for this: they are universal programs. Every American resident is entitled to participate in these programs and that means that the programs enjoy the wide political support that programs that target certain populations can never enjoy. In Massachusetts, all of the programs that expanded health care coverage over the last 15 years are under attack. This is because most residents do not feel they benefit from these programs.
A single payer health care system would guarantee every resident of Massachusetts quality health care. Once established, it would enjoy broad political support that would make it very hard for special interests to undermine. Single payer health care also has the additional benefit of being the only fiscally responsible way of achieving universal health care, this has been validated by every independent study on the subject. Single payer health care provides universal health care by capturing the waste that is endemic to our current multi-payer system. Studies have determined that between 30% and 35% of our health care dollar is spent on administration and overhead. This is compared to the 10% that is the highest that is spent in any country with a unified and universal health care financing system. A single payer system would eliminate more than half of the money presently wasted and would use that money to provide quality health care to every resident of Massachusetts.
We must learn the lessons of Medicare and Social Security and create a universal single payer health care system in Massachusetts. Support for this position should be featured in the 2003 Massachusetts Democratic Party Action Agenda. This is the type of program that can help re-establish the Massachusetts Democratic Party as the party that represents the interests of all working people and their families.