Mass-Care’s ballot effort gives single-payer health care a boost

Doctor with stethoscope isolated on white

Doctor with stethoscope isolated on white Zoonar/N.Okhitin

By ALEXA LEWIS

Staff Writer

Published: 01-15-2025 5:01 PM

Modified: 01-17-2025 3:45 PM


A statewide group that for years has pushed for a single-payer health care system in Massachusetts is buoyed by the fact that voters in nearly a dozen legislative districts during the last election cycle, including the district that includes all of Southampton, voted in favor of a nonbinding ballot question that instructs the representative of their district to vote in favor of a single-payer system of universal health care.

Mass-Care, or The Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care, is the state’s largest single-payer health care advocacy organization, comprising roughly 100 member organizations. In the 2024 election, the coalition’s ballot question passed in all 11 state representative districts, regardless of the political party or candidates who carried those districts.

According to members of the coalition, this has been the trend for some time. Beginning in 1998, Mass-Care has run the question 68 times, winning each time with an overall “Yes” vote percentage of 67.5%.

“This doesn’t seem to be a partisan issue,” said Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, who noted that she has been involved in the single-payer movement since she was elected. “People are really fed up with not being able to access health care and not being able to retain coverage.”

However, the question is nonbinding, explained Patty Healey, who helped lead Mass-Care’s efforts in the 4th Hampden District, which includes all of Southampton and most of Westfield. Rather than an immediate vehicle for change, it’s “more of a way to gauge what the public thinks about the health care system,” she said.

Over the years, as the ballot question has been fielded in various districts in the commonwealth with different political leanings, Healey said that she and her fellow advocates have found that “the fundamental right to health care is widely supported by the population, but it’s not encoded into law.”

Sometimes referred to as “Medicare for All,” Mass-Care outlines that the goal of a single-payer health care system would be to cover all residents under a publicly financed insurance plan, removing barriers and overhead associated with current insurance structures. Proponents of this system also laud its potential to increase access to early intervention and preventive care, which could save patients’ lives and money.

“The out-of-pocket costs for individuals will be zero at the point of service,” said Guy Qvistgaard, who led efforts during this past election in the 3rd Hampden District, which includes 10 Hampshire and Hampden county towns. Qvistgaard said “the last bastion was how can we get the 3rd Hampden and 4th Hampden, because those are red-leaning … this was sort of the last hurrah.”

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Qvistgaard added that single-payer health care aims to eliminate the need for lengthy negotiations between health care providers and insurance companies regarding the care that patients need, which can add stress for both health professionals and those seeking care.

In the 4th Hampden District, the question passed with 55.1% of the vote during the recent election. Rep. Kelly Pease, the Republican who simultaneously won reelection in the district, did not respond to requests for comment about his stance on the matter.

The next step for the single-payer health care initiative as a whole, Qvistgaard said, is getting the bill out of committee and introduced in the Legislature. But the next steps for the individuals involved in the effort take many different forms.

Qvistgaard said that he and some of his fellow advocates will be attending public hearings and continuing to work with legislators “in the background,” while also holding some public events to bolster public awareness.

For Michele Craig, who led efforts during this election cycle in the 4th Hampden District alongside Healey, the next steps will revolve around helping those who have been neglected by the current system share their stories.

“What I’m going to do is help people tell their story and publicize it,” said Craig.

The last two years that Craig worked as a nurse were during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she said she witnessed many people die “needlessly.” As a case manager, she would often deal with insurance companies — an ordeal that caused more and more frustration as she watched patients struggle.

“They want to reward their shareholders, not their patients,” she said.

Experiences like this prompted her to get involved with the Medicare for All effort, and now she hopes to leverage such experiences toward progress.

In the Legislature, Sabadosa said that she and fellow advocates for a single-payer system are “trying to be strategic with our conversations.”

“The biggest barrier is people understanding what this means,” she said. “Education is a tremendous part of this.”

Sabadosa said that she and other legislators are continuing to foster discussions around the government’s role in ensuring care and insurance for constituents, and finding a model that can address the “very huge cracks in our health care system.”

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.