Universal care bid back

By Jennifer Heldt Powell, Boston Herald
Monday, April 5, 2004

Dr. John Goodson was deeply disappointed four years ago when voters narrowly rejected a universal care measure he'd spent months working on. But he wasn't willing to give up.

The Massachusetts General Hospital internist said he is too frustrated at watching his patients struggle to get by with no health insurance to walk away from the issue.

“It's a shameful, humiliating experience,'' he said about those with no insurance. ”They're living in constant fear, and we have allowed this to be perpetuated.''

All that would change under a state constitutional amendment Goodson is pushing with other health care and business leaders.

An amendment, which will be the subject of a hearing at the State House tomorrow, would require the state to provide health care to everyone.

Critics say it is too vague and potentially costly.

But supporters of the Health Care for Massachusetts Campaign say they intentionally left out details. It's a complicated issue that should be hammered out by the Legislature, they said.

“It's important that the people have the opportunity to say to their leaders that they want them to find a solution,'' said Barbara Roop, co-chairwoman of the campaign with Goodson.

The two met while working on a commission created in response to the 2000 universal health care ballot initiative.

Roop was a lawyer under former Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and worked on his universal health care plan. She didn't work on the 2000 ballot drive, but she suggested the constitutional amendment idea.

“I'm personally quite leery about petition amendments to create laws,'' she said. “I'm a big believer in the legislative process.''

Roop believes it's critical to provide greater health care coverage because of her own experiences. She has a chronic medical condition kept in check only with expensive medicines. If she couldn't afford them, she couldn't have gone to school and achieved as much as she has professionally, she said.

“There are too many who aren't that fortunate,'' Roop said.

The group is trying to attract a broad base of supporters. Those who've signed on include Harold Hestnes, senior partner at the Hale & Dorr law firm, William Spring, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, and Nick Littlefield, senior partner at Foley Hoag, another major Boston law firm.

Universal care amendment backers collected 71,000 signatures last year to launch the years-long amendment process. If 50 legislators meeting in a Constitutional Convention vote for it this year and again next year or in 2006, it would go on the next statewide ballot.

Opponents say the lack of details makes it difficult to support.

“It's not a complete story,'' said Brian Gilmore, spokesman for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts. “There is no direction as to how it might be implemented or funded. The way the question is stated, the state would have to have an open checkbook to provide health care to everyone and his brother.''

It's a national problem that needs a national solution, he said.

“Massachusetts is one of 50 states,'' Gilmore said. “From our point of view, the whole situation is unworkable.''

In addition, the proposed amendment takes away attention needed to find practical solutions to help people now, he said.

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