Issue Position: Public Health

Issue Position

We must invest in prevention programs, both in physical and mental health to keep our residents healthier and, over the long term, to help lower our costs. We must institute comprehensive policies that make it easier for people to be healthy. More State funding should be directed to programs that emphasize wellness, with education aimed at improving nutrition, measures to encourage physical activity, and strong preventive efforts to vaccinate and screen for diseases so they can be treated early. Preventative efforts must also be focused on reducing substance abuse. We must support programs and policies that ensure equal access to reproductive healthcare for all people. We must improve the very low wages of home care workers, and create a student loan repayment pilot program for licensed, certified social workers working in areas of high need. We need to be prepared, with legislation in place, to provide healthcare continuity for our most vulnerable residents in the event of federal cuts to our Medicaid funding. We must work towards the creation of a single payer health insurance system in Massachusetts that guarantees access, is publicly administered, and lowers the cost of health care. Such a system must be phased in carefully and deliberately to ensure service quality, and, importantly, to reduce disruption and displacement of workers currently employed in the private health insurance industry. ​

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