Though not a binding question, Question 6 on the Belmont ballot for the Nov. 5 election received considerable support from voters.
That question — which asked voters whether state Rep. Dave Rogers should be instructed to vote for legislation to create a single-payer system of universal health care in Massachusetts — appeared on ballots in 11 districts across the state. It comes as supporters of the single-payer system continue to advocate for establishing such a health care system.
“We don’t make laws off of nonbinding, one-sentence ballot questions,” Rogers said. “But I think it’s good that people get to weigh in, voice their preferences, and I certainly am very much open to supporting a single-payer system if we can do it right.”
In most of those 11 districts, the measure passed with more than 60% of the vote, according to unofficial results gathered by Massachusetts Campaign for Single-Payer Health Care (Mass-Care), the organization behind the campaign. In the 24th Middlesex District (which includes Belmont), represented by Rogers, it garnered 68.6% of the vote. It received the most support in the 14th Suffolk District, which is entirely within Boston, with 73.9% of the vote.
“As always, this question wins,” said Kimberley Connors, executive director of Mass-Care. “People … are unhappy with the way our health care system is working and not working, and they want to see a change. Opening up Medicare to everyone, with improvements — like hearing, vision, and dental — is very popular to most voters.”
She said it’s a measure that proved successful even in districts where president-elect Donald Trump carried the vote, demonstrating support across the political divide.
According to Mass-Care, a single-payer healthcare system would cover everyone under a publicly financed insurance plan. Under this system — modeled after Canada’s — medical care would be free, and all doctors and hospitals would be accessible to any resident without the restrictions imposed by insurance companies, employers, and Medicare Advantage plans.
A single-payer plan would also eliminate premiums, co-pays, and deductibles.
In an email to The Voice, Jon Weissman, co-chair of Mass-Care, added that Section 12 of their proposed statute, An Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts, covers Massachusetts residents worldwide.
According to an explainer on the Mass-Care website, funding the bill would involve creating a 7.5% employer payroll tax, a 2.5% employee payroll tax, and a 10% tax each on unearned income and self-employed income — each with a $20,000 exemption.
According to a Mass-Care press release, Mass-Care has run this question 58 times between 1998 and 2022. In those years, the average yes vote percentage is 68.4%. Critics of the bill, which has died in committee on Beacon Hill every two years for the past 25 years, have concerns about the economic impact of a single-payer system.
“Health care is such a huge field and touches so many areas of the economy and people’s lives,” Rogers said. “Any time you want to change a system that touches so many areas of the economy and people’s lives, it becomes quite complex.”
Rogers noted that in Massachusetts, due to a law created in 2006, a vast majority of residents have health care coverage, whether it’s private or through MassHealth or Medicare. According to the Center for Health Insurance Analysis, roughly 98% of the state’s residents are covered. Thus, transitioning all those residents to a single-payer system would require working out some significant logistics.
Connors said with the election behind them, Mass-Care is continuing to partner with other organizers, including municipalities, to gain traction for single-payer healthcare.
“I really believe that Massachusetts is the right place to do this,” she said. “We have the right size population with the right size economy.”
Mass-Care plans to establish a MetroWest hub to continue its efforts, according to Connors. Forums will be hosted and legislation will be submitted as soon as the next legislative session begins. She said the language was reworked slightly from previous years, but it is “quintessentially the same.”
“Never say never,” Rogers said, speaking to whether single-payer could be a reality in Massachusetts. “It’s difficult to predict. My sense is with the coming Republican control of the federal government, there will be an attitude of ‘Let’s see how health care policy shapes up at the federal level.’”