The LWVBAE Healthcare Team met on September 14th to discuss the coming year. The team plans on reaching out to local community-based organizations to invite them to have a discussion on healthcare reform. These would be organizations that members of LWVBAE have connections with, but that have not necessarily worked with the League in the past. The team also talked about the statewide healthcare working group.

This group, formed by several dedicated League members, meets every fourth Tuesday and explores ways that the League can get involved in the healthcare reform movement. Dr. Hank Abrons, co-chair of LWVBAE’s healthcare team and avid member of the statewide healthcare working group, explained that many League members have been independently passionate about healthcare reform, but haven’t had the opportunity to work collectively in a formal group setting. 

“We are a group of interested and concerned League members who believe we can make things happen if we work together,” Abrons said.

Also discussed at the LWVBAE Healthcare Team meeting was the newly published book, Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide by Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson. Medicare for All covers a multitude of difficult aspects of the American healthcare system in a digestible and engaging way. At the recommendation of Abrons, the team will be working through the book by focusing on a few of the most helpful chapters, while hosting discussions based on the reading. 

The Healthcare Team also encourages any League members who feel they may be interested in the book to join them in the reading as well as the discussion on Part One, which includes the first two chapters, at their next meeting on October 12 from 7:00-8:00 PM. Abrons recommends that everyone with an interest read this book.

 “Right now, we’re living in a time where there have been more pressing social and financial issues and healthcare is repeatedly one of the top things in peoples’ concerns. Peoples’ knowledge and understanding lacks clarity, in many cases, but they have a sense that it’s too expensive and doesn’t need to be,” he said.

He also pointed out that many people want to take action, but may not necessarily know where to start.

 “A lot of people are frustrated because they know quite a bit about the problems, and even have solutions, but our system is so broken… they just don’t know whether their input can make any difference,”Abrons said.

–Frances Lebowitz

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