Interfaith Coalition Wins Health Care Reform in Massachusetts

What happened?

The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) joined with a coalition of doctors, hospitals, patients, labor unions, and community organizations to launch a successful statewide initiative in 2005 to push for a more inclusive Massachusetts health care system. GBIO leaders, Rev. Hurmon Hamilton of Roxbury Presbyterian Church and Rabbi Jonah Pesner of Temple Israel in Boston, helped to execute the Affordable Care Today! campaign which sought major reform aimed at providing quality, affordable coverage for Massachusetts’ 550,000 uninsured citizens.

What methods did faith leaders use?

Organizers mobilized more than 1,000 volunteers from the 65 religious congregations and community groups that compose GBIO and spoke directly to members of synagogues, churches, and mosques. At the campaign launch event on May 25, 2006, leaders publicly announced four specific principles for moral health care reform and its own strong legislation that would require the state to cover all individuals. Arming volunteers with signature pages, copies of the proposed legislation, and pledge cards, the campaign garnered 113,000 signatures – 50,000 more than needed – to put their legislation on the November 2006 ballot for public approval. Leaders vowed to lawmakers that if adequate legislation was not passed, they would proceed with the ballot initiative. The pressure of GBIO and its allies succeeded on April 4, 2006, when the Massachusetts State Legislature approved legislation requiring heath insurance for nearly all state residents. This innovative legislation has since been called a potential model for the rest of the nation.

What was their message?

“Every human being is created in the image of God. And if so, then every human body is a sacred vessel, and we will do what we know to be right, to be just, to be merciful, to bring health care access and affordability to each and every member of the commonwealth.� Rabbi Pesner spoke these words at the Massachusetts State House, standing side-by-side with Rev. Hamilton and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi. The Affordable Care Today! campaign joined support across lines of faith, race, and economic class into a voice that exerted substantial influence on the legislative debate. According to Monsignor George Carlson of Holy Name Catholic Parish, whose congregation was presented with the GBIO petition, “One of the non-negotiables of our faith: to reach out to the needy. I don’t see this as a political issue, but as a moral question.�

What challenges were faced?

In promoting an adequately strong health care plan, GBIO and its allies faced a reluctant governor and business sector with their own plans for health care reform. Gov. Mitt Romney originally favored greater availability of low-cost, low-benefit private insurance plans and dismissed the implementation of a mandated employer contribution. Rabbi Pesner and Rev. Hamilton, among other leaders, fervently maintained that employers had the responsibility to join in providing care for their employees, while working with legislators to craft a novel proposal that would decrease health care costs for individuals as well as businesses. The result combined private insurance plans with employer contribution and state subsidies for low income-earners, which the GBIO has called, “a tremendous step forward in the campaign to ensure access to quality, affordable health insurance for all Massachusetts residents.�

How can you use this example?

With more than 45 million Americans lacking health insurance, health care coverage for the uninsured remains a matter of public importance and moral imperative. According to Amy Lischko, Massachusetts’ Commissioner of Health Care Finance and Policy, several states including Michigan, New York and Wisconsin, have already contacted her to inquire about Massachusetts’ reforms. Such a national environment is ripe for a faith-backed push to initiate and influence the public health care debate. By publicly releasing their own health care proposal and raising tremendous support for it, the GBIO was able to convince lawmakers to pass comprehensive reform that will provide the unprotected with sustained care.

Key Links

Massachusetts Sets Health Plan for Nearly All, New York Times

GBIO Clergy Statement on Health Care

GBIO Signature Collection Strategy and Timeline