Mass Passes Right to Health Care Amendment

By Mark Bevis on Friday, July 16, 2004.

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Massachusetts lawmakers have taken on a huge task.

They have approved a Constitutional Amendment that would make access to health care a right.

Even if all goes as supporters hope, the process will still take years to complete.

But proponents were very excited by the initial vote.

The proposed Amendment passed the State's Constitutional Convention by more than 3 to 1.

New Hampshire Public Radio's Mark Bevis reports.

Because the proposed Amendment was part of a public referendum to the Constitutional Convention, it needed only 51 votes to pass.

The Measure however received more than 140 votes from the Joint Session of the Massachusetts House and Senate.

And that kind of support thrilled Dr. John Goodson.

Goodson is an internist at Massachusetts General and Co-Chair of the Committee for Health Care for Massachusetts.

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That was Dr. John Goodson, an internist at Massachusetts General and Co-chair of the Committee for Health Care for Massachusetts.

If all goes according to Goodson's plan, the Bay State's Constitution would include a right to health care by 2010 at the latest.

The Proposed Constitutional Amendment granting a right to health care does have it's opponents.

The National Federation of Independent Business says the pricetag would be immense.

And the Associated Industries of Massachusetts called the proposal expensive and impractical

For NHPR News this is Mark Bevis.