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"Legislature approves health care coverage as a constitutional right
By Jennifer Peter, Associated Press, 7/14/2004 14:25
BOSTON (AP) Comprehensive and affordable health care coverage would become a constitutionally protected right for all Massachusetts citizens under an amendment overwhelming approved Wednesday by the House and Senate.
If approved by lawmakers again during the 2005-2006 session, the question would go before voters in November 2006. If successful, the state would then develop a specific plan for providing and paying for health care, which would again go before voters, in November 2008 at the earliest.
''We're trying to provide justice in health care so that every single citizen has a health care plan,'' said Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Boston. ''It is the citizens of Massachusetts that we are all looking out for here.''
Because the amendment was initiated by a citizens' petition, it required support from only 51 of the 200 state representatives and senators as part of the constitutional convention. The vote, however, was overwhelming with lawmakers supporting the right to health care 143-41.
The amendment states that ''it shall be the obligation and duty of the Legislature and executive officials ... to enact and implement such laws as will ensure that no Massachusetts resident lack comprehensive, affordable and equitably financed health insurance coverage for all medically necessary preventive, acute and chronic health care and mental health care services, prescription drugs and devices.''
Following the vote, Senate President Robert Travaglini, D-Boston, adjourned the constitutional convention that began earlier this year with the much-debated approval of a ban on gay marriage that would simultaneously legalize civil unions if approved again by the Legislature during the next two-year legislative session and by voters in the fall of 2006.
The adjournment effectively killed amendments that would have led to the election of judges an initiative fueled by a high court decision that legalized gay marriage and made it more difficult for citizens to put policy questions on the ballot. "
o friggin wonderful, I'll soon have a "Constitutional Right" to have that laser eye surgury I've been wanting to get to relieve my...ahh, chronic eye strain or something. I love it when lawmakers do crap like this with no real plan on how to actually get it done. Last time I checked the Peoples Republik Of MA was cutting back on all kinds of aid to cities and towns because of budget shortfalls and such, which caused my local tax to go up, and now they want to give anyone that stops by free fully comprehensive health care? where the hell are they getting the $$$ to pay for something like that? how many people do they think are going to be willing to keep living in this state when there's a state income tax rate of 40% to pay for this new "right"? And will my employer let me stop paying into my work provided health plan, which I can't do right now, or do I keep paying into that AND paying a crazy tax rate?
has anyone on Beacon Hill thought any of this through? WTF is going on?!
ok, I feel a little better now...
"Legislature approves health care coverage as a constitutional right
By Jennifer Peter, Associated Press, 7/14/2004 14:25
BOSTON (AP) Comprehensive and affordable health care coverage would become a constitutionally protected right for all Massachusetts citizens under an amendment overwhelming approved Wednesday by the House and Senate.
If approved by lawmakers again during the 2005-2006 session, the question would go before voters in November 2006. If successful, the state would then develop a specific plan for providing and paying for health care, which would again go before voters, in November 2008 at the earliest.
''We're trying to provide justice in health care so that every single citizen has a health care plan,'' said Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Boston. ''It is the citizens of Massachusetts that we are all looking out for here.''
Because the amendment was initiated by a citizens' petition, it required support from only 51 of the 200 state representatives and senators as part of the constitutional convention. The vote, however, was overwhelming with lawmakers supporting the right to health care 143-41.
The amendment states that ''it shall be the obligation and duty of the Legislature and executive officials ... to enact and implement such laws as will ensure that no Massachusetts resident lack comprehensive, affordable and equitably financed health insurance coverage for all medically necessary preventive, acute and chronic health care and mental health care services, prescription drugs and devices.''
Following the vote, Senate President Robert Travaglini, D-Boston, adjourned the constitutional convention that began earlier this year with the much-debated approval of a ban on gay marriage that would simultaneously legalize civil unions if approved again by the Legislature during the next two-year legislative session and by voters in the fall of 2006.
The adjournment effectively killed amendments that would have led to the election of judges an initiative fueled by a high court decision that legalized gay marriage and made it more difficult for citizens to put policy questions on the ballot. "
o friggin wonderful, I'll soon have a "Constitutional Right" to have that laser eye surgury I've been wanting to get to relieve my...ahh, chronic eye strain or something. I love it when lawmakers do crap like this with no real plan on how to actually get it done. Last time I checked the Peoples Republik Of MA was cutting back on all kinds of aid to cities and towns because of budget shortfalls and such, which caused my local tax to go up, and now they want to give anyone that stops by free fully comprehensive health care? where the hell are they getting the $$$ to pay for something like that? how many people do they think are going to be willing to keep living in this state when there's a state income tax rate of 40% to pay for this new "right"? And will my employer let me stop paying into my work provided health plan, which I can't do right now, or do I keep paying into that AND paying a crazy tax rate?
has anyone on Beacon Hill thought any of this through? WTF is going on?!
ok, I feel a little better now...
