To the editor:
The current for-profit healthcare industry is not working to keep us in good health, and its sky-high costs are unsustainable. Even people with insurance under the current system often cannot afford out-of-pocket costs and must forgo or postpone the care they need.
A system of comprehensive, universal healthcare proposed by Mass-Care’s “Medicare for All” legislation is a critical first step on the road to making healthcare a right rather than a commodity. That is why Mass-Care has put forward Ballot Question 6 in the 3rd Berkshire District, which includes 18 towns and villages, among them Dalton, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Richmond, Stockbridge, and Sheffield (where the Ballot Question is 7), along with 11 other House districts across the state.
The legislation guarantees quality coverage for all medically necessary care: hearing, vision, dental, mental health, and long-term care. There would be no premiums or out-of-pocket costs. And because there would be no more networks that limit choice, people could continue to see their current providers or choose new ones. The legislation reduces healthcare costs for just about everyone. It enables our cities and towns to redirect the savings they enjoy to our other major needs, such as education.
However, Medicare for All will only become law in Massachusetts with a massive grassroots effort by individuals, employers, municipalities, healthcare practitioners, and unions.
The ballot question directs the elected representative from the district “to vote for legislation to create a single-payer system of universal health care that would provide all Massachusetts residents with comprehensive health care coverage including the freedom to choose doctors and other health care professionals, facilities, and services and that would eliminate the role of insurance companies in health care by creating a publicly administered insurance trust fund.”
When the same question appeared on the ballot in the 2nd Berkshire District in 2022, 75 percent of those responding voted “Yes.” And in recognition of its apparent popularity, all the members of the Berkshire delegation, including State Sen. Paul Mark, are now co-sponsors of the legislation.
The voters of the 3rd Berkshire District can make their voices heard and add to the momentum that single-payer legislation is steadily gathering by voting “Yes” on Question 6 (and “Yes” on 7 in Sheffield).
Louise Farkas
Pittsfield
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