July 20, 2023 Dear colleague, I’ll start with the big news. After more than a year of intensive organizing by doctors and single-payer advocates across the state, the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) House of Delegates has adopted the following policy: |
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“That the MMS supports and will advocate for universal access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable, high-quality, administratively streamlined health care through a national health program, as well as through legislation at the state level, and will continue to explore and evaluate payment structures that may be able to achieve these goals.” |
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Getting our medical societies on board with fundamental health care reform is a tall task, and an essential one. How did we get to this point in Massachusetts? By working diligently to understand the ins and outs of our state medical society, by continuously seeking out like-minded physicians to advocate for our resolution, and by collaborating with allies like Mass-Care and with the PNHP national office. This process started three years ago, when I connected with a colleague in the Franklin District Medical Society and began circulating the sample resolution that PNHP developed for members to use in their state and specialty-based medical societies. Based on positive feedback at the district level, we distributed the resolution within our multi-district caucus, then brought it to the full MMS House of Delegates in 2022, where HOD officers referred it to a taskforce for further consideration. Over the following year, we recruited numerous PNHP members who were also members of the MMS to testify in support of our resolution, and ended up submitting testimony that was three-to-one in favor of single payer. The resolution that eventually passed was scaled back from the one that we originally submitted, but it does make explicit reference to a “national health program” as the vehicle for achieving better outcomes for our patients. Crucially, it brought physicians who are supportive of single payer together as a group to push our medical society in a more positive direction. It gave us a deeper understanding of the obstacles we face, and gave us a renewed commitment to working together and organizing for change within our profession. |
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Get involved with your medical society today!
- Urge your medical society to support the Medicare for All Act in the U.S. House.
- Sign up for our campaign to pressure the AMA to drop its opposition to single payer by passing a similar resolution through your state medical society.
- Familiarize yourself with our Medical Society Resolutions campaign at medicalsocietyresolutions.org.
Attention Pediatricians! PNHP member Dr. Ann Troy has submitted two resolutions to the American Academy of Pediatricians. Visit resolutions.aap.org TODAY and vote “yes” on resolutions #21 (Medicare for All Children) and #22 (Medicare for All). Submitting a favorable comment would also go a long way. Votes and comments are due by the end of the day tomorrow, Friday, July 21! |
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As somebody who went through the lengthy process of shepherding a resolution through my state medical society, I would wholeheartedly recommend it to any of my fellow PNHP members. It is an eye-opening experience that will deepen your involvement in our movement, and will show you first-hand just how many supportive physicians there are in your community. Moving our profession towards an enthusiastic embrace of single payer will take many hands and many years, but I encourage you to push as hard as you can. You will be surprised by how many of your colleagues line up right alongside you. In solidarity, C. Frazer Shipman, M.D. |
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