By Colleen Kelley
On Saturday, June 21st, Mass-Care held its Medicare for All Conference at Clark University in Worcester. This conference marked the 30th anniversary of the Mass-Care coalition, and 30 years of commitment, hard work, and dedication for many of the coalition’s members.
Myself, and two other Fund Healthcare Not Warfare activists – Catherine DeLorey and Alan Meyers – attended this day of programming. The conference began with opening remarks from Mass-Care’s Executive Director Kimberley Connors and Massachusetts State Senator Jamie Eldridge, who is one of the leading sponsors of Mass-Care’s Bill S.860/H.1405: “An Act Establishing Medicare For All in Massachusetts.” Senator Eldridge presented Jon Weissman, another leader of Mass-Care, with a Senate Citation for his long-time dedication and activism, which was met with overwhelming support from the audience.
Dr. Tami Gouveia spoke about the current healthcare system’s failures and abuses, as someone who has studied and worked within the healthcare system. She spoke about how instead of delivering successful healthcare to Massachusetts, through the ideal-centered morals and philosophies taught at universities and preached throughout the system, our current healthcare system is failing to provide sufficient and humane healthcare to its patients and workers.
The remainder of the conference was spent in breakout groups to discuss and develop better strategies for Mass-Care’s campaign, in order to finally administer a single-payer healthcare system for Massachusetts. I participated in the Community Organizations and Activists group, while Catherine DeLorey and Alan Meyers joined the Healthcare Workers group. Also present were the Municipal and Elected Leaders group, the Labor group, and the Business group.
The Community Organizations and Activists group discussed many ideas, coming to the conclusion that more instances of creative direct action, as well as gaining ground in wider union and citizen support, are needed to create a more successful campaign for passing Mass-Care’s single-payer healthcare bill. The Healthcare Workers group discussed developing strategic tactics to support the Medicare for All campaign including increasing outreach to marginalized communities and incorporating various constituencies such as physicians and their currently-forming unions, public health and school nurses, and personal care attendants.
By holding this conference, Mass-Care brought its members a community-building and thought-provoking day, hopefully enlightening enough to help the coalition truly move forward with passing its legislation. While this day was quite inspiring in highlighting the experiences that every member and participant has worked through over the past 30 years, the fact that 2025 marks Mass-Care’s 30th year in organizing acted as a wake up call to everyone in attendance that implementing a single-payer healthcare system for Massachusetts will continue to be – and has been – a significant challenge.
My overall take away from the conference is this: Let us all channel these simultaneous feelings of pride and discouragement – from the decades of dedication to this cause – into a sense of renewed urgency to keep the momentum from this conference going. No matter how long you have been involved with Mass-Care’s goal – whether you learned about it while reading this article or have been by the coalition’s side since 1995 – Mass-Care still needs your help. I urge everyone to reach out to even just one person you know who hasn’t heard of Mass-Care and spread the word further. I urge everyone to go to Mass-Care’s website and find out how you, individually, can help support this coalition, either by donating, joining a committee or volunteering, signing up for an event, buying merchandise to advertise the coalition, or teaching yourself about the bill and how much money, time, and health a single-payer system would save the people of Massachusetts.
It has been the time to act, and it continues to be the time to act until this bill is passed. Spread the word. Start a petition to bring to your town committee, write to your legislators, and talk to your friends, family, and co-workers. Let us prevent Mass-Care from reaching another 30 years of work. If we all contribute to fixing our healthcare system, then we will be able to provide successful, efficient, and affordable healthcare to all.
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Colleen Kelley is a MAPA intern and a student at George Washington University.
