Health Justice for Boston ~ Number 19. July 2015

Happy 50th, Medicare!

July 30th is the fiftieth anniversary of Medicare & Medicaid.
You're invited to come celebrate with us.

Thursday, July 30th ~ 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Massachusetts State House ~ Senate Reading Room
Third Floor ~ Across from Senate Chambers
Music, Speakers & Cake!

Tom Rankin, Alliance for Retired Americans, on why we need to expand Medicare: “We should protect Medicare because 50-some million people in this country are currently dependent upon it, and many, many others are indirectly dependent upon it because their parents and loved ones receive Medicare benefits. We should improve (and expand) Medicare because the rest of the health care private insurance system is dysfunctional, it costs way more than it should. Medicare has far lower administrative costs. And there is no reason that profit should be made by selling health insurance which everyone needs to have. It wouldn’t just be individuals who would benefit from an improved and expanded Medicare program but also the nation’s businesses and economy as well."

Medicare & Medicaid 50th Birthday!

Senior, labor, religious and civic groups will be holding dozens of events in cities across the country to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of Medicare and Medicaid on July 30th, to protect them from cutbacks, to fight for improvements and to expand Medicare into a truly universal system, enhanced and welcoming to all for life. The AFL-CIO has endorsed these events. A Healthcare Justice March takes place on Saturday, August 1st in Washington, DC at the National Mall near the MLK Monument at 10 AM. Contact: hjm4all@gmail.org

Locally, Mass-Care, Physicians for a National Health Program, Massachusetts Nurses Association, Massachusetts Senior Action Council, Alliance for Retired Americans, Jobs with Justice, Health Justice for Boston and many others will celebrate at the State House on Thursday, July 30th at 1:00 PM. All are cordially invited! Contact Mass-Care at 617-723-7001.

Mass Senior Action Reports for Duty

The Massachusetts Senior Action Council, in conjunction with a broad coalition, will hold a special Medicare and Medicaid celebration at its Dorchester office, 150 Mount Vernon Street, Second Floor, on Thursday, August 6th starting at 11:00 AM. $10 registration is asked to cover lunch. For more information or to RSVP, call 617-284-2596.

Councillor Charles Yancey addressed many issues and responded to members’ questions at this month’s meeting of the Boston chapter. Other business covered included the highly successful July 1st hearing on Closing the Gap legislation before the Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing, and plans for the August 6th celebration of Medicare and Medicaid.

What is Healthcare Justice?

  • Access: Can you get the care you need?
  • Affordability: Will you go bankrupt if you do?
  • Quality: Will you survive your encounter?
  • Equality: Do you meet special barriers to care?

Directory

For more information on health care as a right, not a commodity:

Mass-Care   Healthcare NOW!   Labor Campaign for Single Payer

To navigate the current system:

Boston Mayor’s HealthLine @ 617-534-5050

Health Care For All - Massachusetts
Consumer Health HelpLine @ 800-272-4232

Massachusetts Health Connector
Customer Support @ 877-623-6765

For more information, contact:

Quentin Davis @ 617-553-2949 or davisquestin@gmail.com
Sandy Eaton @ 617-510-6496 or sandyern@comcast.net

Health Justice for Boston is archived on Seachange Bulletin.
Sponsor: Health Justice for Boston