Health Care

Still fighting the good fight

by Kristen Lombardi

When a long-stalled bill giving patients more muscle in dealing with their HMOs was finally passed in June (see "Health Care Reform 101," News and Features, August 18), most people just assumed that the campaign for a ballot question guaranteeing health care for all Massachusetts residents had been squelched.

But the naysayers were wrong: the Yes on Five Campaign, which includes test-driven grassroots groups like the Ad Hoc Committee To Defend Health Care, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and Advocates for Quality Care, is set to debunk the myth.

Next Wednesday, September 13, the group will hold its first public gathering, billed as an "open meeting," to discuss the ballot initiative known as Question Five. Talk will focus on the proposal's core themes -- providing affordable health care for everyone, boosting spending on patient care (rather than on administrative costs), and safeguarding not-for-profit health centers from the grip of for-profit companies.

The upcoming event affords Boston residents a chance to get involved. Campaign members hope that their September 13 public meeting will inspire people to volunteer some time doing the nitty-gritty work, or just to spread the word that Yes on Five hasn't died -- especially because the recently passed law offers nothing in the way of true reform.

"People are confused by the legislation," acknowledges Andre Guillemin, the campaign director. But the "patients' bill of rights," he says, doesn't guarantee health-care coverage for the 346,000 Massachusetts residents who are uninsured today. Nor does it grant patients as much as freedom and power as Question Five would. "If we want to achieve significant reform," he adds, "we have to do it by passing this initiative."

The public meeting is scheduled for September 13 at 6 p.m. at the Harvard Medical School's Medical Education Center, located at 260 Longwood Avenue in Boston. For more information, call (617) 576-7741. Or visit the Yes on Five Web site at www.Question5.org.