Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Mass-Care’s 12th Annual Single Payer Gala: In Memory of Ben Gill

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Click here for a purchase form to take out an ad in our Program Book!

TIME: Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 2PM to 5PM
PLACE: Ryles Jazz Club, 212 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02139
TICKETS: $35 standard admission, $10 for students - please donate what you can!

Join Mass-Care and the Universal Health Care Education Fund on April 17 for:

  • Keynote speaker Donna Smith! Donna was featured in Michael Moore’s film ‘SiCKO’ after she and her husband were forced to sell their home and move in with their daughter due to medical debt - they were insured at the time. Since then, Donna has become one of the nation’s leading organizers for single-payer health reform and works for the California Nurses Association, leading their efforts to pass Medicare-for-All legislation in Congress out of their Washington, D.C. offices.
  • Honoring the work of Arky Markham, a stellar single-payer activist from the Franklin Hampshire region, as well as Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, one of Mass-Care’s most important allies on health care advocacy.
  • The Joseph Lillyman Jazz Band.

Our annual fundraising gala for Mass-Care and the Universal Health Care Education Fund is coming up on April 17, from 2 to 5PM at the Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge! It has been a frustrating year in health care reform, with efforts to advance even moderate reform faltering on the national stage. However, Mass-Care and UHCEF have been effective in educating and pressuring the Massachusetts Congressional delegation to fight for truly fundamental reform, and we are turning to the next round of state-level reform for better opportunities to win single payer legislation, which can set an example for the nation.

Mass-Care and UHCEF recently helped to launch the Massachusetts Campaign for Health Care Justice, which will be a pro-active campaign to rejuvenate the single payer movement in the state and build a solidarity network between communities struggling under the current health care system. We need to continue advocating for our communities when health reform is initiated from above, but we can’t afford to be reactive in our politics, and need to build movements shaping the next round of health reform from the grassroots.

We need your help to do this! This will be the second full year of recession for our non-profit. Mass-Care does not accept money from the health care industry, and we rely almost exclusively on support from individuals and member organizations. Please support Mass-Care’s efforts by placing an ad in our annual event program booklet, by listing your name as a supporter, or joining us at this event!

Massachusetts Campaign for Health Care Justice Endorsing Organizations

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Massachusetts Campaign for Health Care Justice Education

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Massachusetts Campaign for Health Care Justice Proposal

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Campaign Proposal

January 25, 2010

Background:

Health care has become one of the most economically pressing and yet politically difficult issues facing American residents in the 21st century.  Massachusetts, like other states, has failed to rein in spiraling health care costs, and in fact faces the highest premiums of any state in the country.  These costs have continued to rise throughout implementation of the 2006 health reform law that was designed to extend insurance coverage to the uninsured and effective cost control proposals have faltered on the national stage. The lack of a political coalition to demand cost control - through Medicare-for-All health reform or other means - has meant that most efforts to expand access to care have been unaffordable over time, and also that the health care crisis for most people, most businesses, municipalities, and the state has gone unaddressed.

For most people in Massachusetts, thanks in part to the extension of coverage to the uninsured, the health care crisis is primarily a crisis of cost. This crisis facing the majority of the population has not been addressed by state or national health reform efforts. Union contract disputes increasingly revolve around health coverage concessions, or wage and benefit concessions to maintain health coverage; municipalities as well as the state are forced to choose between slashing social services or covering public sector workers; businesses are struggling to cover workers and compete nationally or internationally; and workers in non-traditional work settings such as self-employed or contract work face discriminatory high premiums that are simply out of reach for even middle-class people. Many individuals in our state are excluded from coverage under the new law by factors of cost, or are “covered” by poor policies with high deductibles and co-pays. Unions, student groups, immigrant rights organizations, seniors, safety net providers, and other key constituencies find themselves fighting isolated battles to at least hold the line on access to care. Most of us are losing that access for our constituents incrementally over time, and we are all losing the battle to keep health costs affordable.

The goal of this campaign is to launch a renewed effort to pass an  improved Medicare-for-All legislation for Massachusetts and the nation, while supporting grassroots efforts by labor, community groups, students, seniors, small businesses, and other constituencies. The goal is to channel grassroots action into legislative power while addressing day to day struggles around health care issues in our state. It is to build a unified movement for health care justice strong enough to overcome the powerful lobbies in our state opposed to real health care reform.

Goals:

The Massachusetts Campaign for Health Care Justice will be dedicated to winning health care as a right for all residents of Massachusetts, and will fight for all residents’ access to affordable health care. The focus of the campaign will be to:

1)      Coordinate a strategic legislative campaign to enact a comprehensive and improved Medicare-for-All legislation, which is inclusive of all residents in the state, controls costs, and prioritizes preventive care and equitable access for all;

2)      Support workers’ access to affordable health care through proactive campaigns and solidarity for workers’ organizing efforts and contract campaigns;

3)      Reduce health care disparities and support equitable access for immigrants, both at work and through public health care programs; and

4)      Defend and expand the health care safety net in Massachusetts, which provides care to communities failed by the current health care system.

Campaign Structure:

Organizations formally endorsing the Health Care Justice Mission Statement will be recognized as members of the Campaign. The Campaign will be coordinated by a Steering Committee consisting of organizations providing staff time and/or financial support to the campaign.  It will meet monthly or as necessary.

The Campaign will include a Legislative Subcommittee, a Workers’ Support Subcommittee, Disparities and Inclusion Subcommittee, and Patient Advocacy Subcommittee, which shall consist of organizations and activists willing to engage in ongoing work within these areas consistent with the overall goals of the campaign.

Campaign Activities

Campaign subcommittees will organize activities in their respective areas with overall approval from the Steering Committee. These will include a legislative push supported by grassroots organizing, focused on moving a bill through the Massachusetts General Court. The campaign will provide direct support to workers and unions engaged in health care fights by mobilizing public support. The campaign will continue to fight for immigrant inclusion and the need to address racial and other disparities in our system. Finally the campaign will rally public support for our embattled safety net system.

The campaign will engage in activities such as rallies, press events, grassroots lobbying, educational forums, etc. It will have a goal to organize across the state, especially in areas and districts with low organizing density. The campaign will focus on earned media opportunities through press events, op-eds and alternative and non-English media and social networking tools.

The overall goal of the campaign will be to win public support through grassroots mobilization and education for a fundamental change in our health care system and the need to defend existing health care access while extending coverage to those currently denied it.

Massachusetts Campaign for Health Care Justice

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

The Massachusetts Campaign for Health Care Justice will fight for universal access to comprehensive health care for all residents because it is a basic human right. We will work to pass improved Medicare-for-All legislation for the state and the nation. We will support all Massachusetts communities struggling to gain access to needed care, fight for workers’ health coverage, support vital safety net services, and oppose all forms of disparity and discrimination within the present health care system. We believe that controlling the costs of health care is fundamental to achieving universal care that is affordable for our families and sustainable for society.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Pledge Delivered to Cigna

Monday, October 19th, 2009
  1. CIGNA will not stand between a doctor and a patient when it comes to deciding what care that patient needs.   No one at CIGNA will substitute their judgment for the judgment of the patient’s physician in deciding if care is medically necessary.
  2. CIGNA will not deny coverage or raise rates for individuals or businesses based on a pre-existing medical condition, and will end arbitrary caps on payments for necessary medical care.
  3. CIGNA will terminate any policy or incentive that rewards employees financially or otherwise for denying care and rejecting claims.
  4. CIGNA will not use any resources - including funds, employees, and facilities - to lobby against and oppose any aspect of the health reform proposals supported by President Obama and being considered by members of the United States Congress, including but not limited to a national public health insurance option available on day one.

CIGNA Worst Practices

Friday, October 16th, 2009

(Compiled by Northeast Action.)

  • Spending on Federal Lobbyists Since January 2008: $3.2 million

Former CIGNA Vice President Reported on Company’s “Purging” of Undesirable Customers. In 2009, Wendell Potter, formerly Vice President of Corporate Communications for CIGNA, “described how underwriters at his former company would drive small businesses with expensive insurance claims to dump their Cigna policies. Industry executives refer to the practice as ‘purging,’ Potter said. ‘When that business comes up for renewal, the underwriters jack the rates up so much, the employer has no choice but to drop insurance,’ Potter had said.” [CNN, 8/18/09]

In 2009, AMA Sued CIGNA, Accusing Them of Underpaying Doctors and Forcing Patients To Pay Excessive Costs for More Than a Decade. In February 2009, the American Medical Association and the medical associations of several states filed a lawsuit against CIGNA and Aetna, accusing the two insurers of “duping several constituents out of deserved funds using ‘rigged data’ from their Ingenix database.” The suit accused the companies of “underpaying physicians” and forcing patients to pay “excessive costs for more than a decade using the Ingenix system for out-of-network claims.” [Forbes, 2/10/09]

CIGNA and Its Subcontractor Paid $27 Million to Settle Accusations Inflated Rx Drug Costs and Pocketed Rebates. In 2008, the Hartford Courant reported, “Express Scripts Inc. and CIGNA are paying a total of $27 million to settle a 2004 lawsuit by the state of New York that accused Express Scripts of getting doctors to switch patients’ drugs and pocketing rebates from drug companies. The allegations involved prescription benefits for New York’s Empire Plan, which covered more than 1 million active and retired state and local government employees and dependents at the time. The suit also said Express Scripts inflated the cost of generic drugs for the plan. CIGNA is involved in the settlement announced Tuesday because it insured the state’s prescription drug plan and subcontracted Express Scripts to manage the drug plan benefits.” [Hartford Courant, 7/30/08]

CIGNA Fined More Than $2 Million for Allegedly Steering Small Businesses to Plans With Less Benefits. In 2007, the New Jersey “ordered Cigna HealthCare of New Jersey and an affiliate to restore a higher level of coverage to 2,123 small businesses and fined them over $2.1 million. Cigna and the affiliate, Connecticut General Life Insurance Co., failed to properly notify the businesses of their health plan options and steered them to plans with ‘substantially reduced benefits,’ the state Department of Banking and Insurance charged….The department said Cigna HealthCare applied in March 2006 to withdraw 35 benefits from its standard HMO plans for small employers. The withdrawal was allowed, but Cigna failed to notify the employers, as promised, that it would still be offering the state-mandated HMO plan, according to the commissioner’s order. Instead, Cigna urged employers to enroll in a Connecticut General plan, and failed to explain that the ‘exciting new options’ had a significant reduction in benefits, the order said.” [AP, 5/1/07]

CIGNA Claim Denial 2nd Highest in CA Study. Using data culled from California’s Department of Managed Care’s Web site, the CNA said it found that the state’s five largest insurers rejected 31.2 million claims for care from 2002 through June of this year. According to the nurses’ union, PacificCare denied the largest percentage of claims (40 percent), followed by Cigna (33 percent), HealthNet (30 percent) and Kaiser (29 percent).
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-14/news/why-insurance-companies-are-denying-health-care

CIGNA Patient Stories : CIGNA

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Teenager Died After CIGNA Denied a Liver Transplant; Company Defended Its Decision.

In 2007, a California family accused Cigna of “maliciously” killing their 17-year-old daughter, Nataline Sarkisyan who died a few hours after the company approved a procedure it had previously described as “too experimental.” After the girl died, the company “stood by its initial decision.” CIGNA executive David Cordani said that, just before she died, the company authorized the transplant even though it still considered it experimental, and therefore outside the scope of her coverage. “Cigna did not reverse the clinical determination that the member’s plan did not cover the transplant,” Cordani said. “In fact, Cigna went above and beyond the plan and offered to provide payment in the event the procedure should be completed.”

Hilda and Krikor Sarkisyan went to CIGNA’s Philadelphia headquarters, along with supporters from the California Nurses Association, to confront CEO Edward Hanway over the death of her 17-year-old child.  “CIGNA killed my daughter,” Nataline’s mother Hilda told security. “I want an apology.” Sarkisyan was not able to speak to Hanway; a communications specialist talked to her instead. After their conversation, employees heckled the group from a balcony; one man gave them the finger. CIGNA called the police and had the family and their friends escorted from the building.

[ABC News, 12/21/07; Los Angeles Times, 12/25/07]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/08/cigna-employee-flips-off_n_314189.html

CIGNA hides cancer diagnosis for over a year

Jo Joshua Godfrey had cancer without knowing it for over a year. I would go to the CIGNA health clinic and they would tell me I had bronchitis and give me medicine and send me home. No matter what medicine they gave me I wouldn’t get better. Then the CIGNA Director called me up and she told me that there was nothing wrong with me at all. I called another doctor (outside the CIGNA system), and I came with my film and my CAT scan and he just put it in, it took exactly thirty seconds. He told me, ‘You have cancer,’ and he said the reason CIGNA did not want to give you your records is they’ve known right way back for years that you have cancer and they’re not going to treat you.”

Jo Godfrey, a lung cancer survivor and CIGNA policyholder, told the gathered SEIU members about how her doctor refused to diagnose her lung cancer at CIGNA’s behest. At the end of her story, Jo said she thinks a strong public option is the best solution to our current, broken system: “I really believe that having an option to get a plan that’s not controlled by the insurance companies, that doesn’t make a profit, is the fair thing to do, and it will save lives.”

http://www.seiu.org/2009/09/seiu-local-775nw-bring-reform-to-cignas-front-yard.php

Mother of young children denied needed therapy

Stephen Coddington’s wife Marian, suffered a major stroke .  The case manager at the nursing home called me in and was really upset, and she said, “CIGNA is wanting to discontinue therapy with her. The doctors called and appeals were denied.” It has been a day-in and day-out fight. Every talk that I’ve had with them, it’s been, how can we wiggle off this hook.

http://crooksandliars.com/dday/cigna-denies-cancer-patient-care-ceo-makes-12

http://savestevesfamily.blogspot.com/

CIGNA refuses needed treatment for 4 year old twins - drives family to bankruptcy

Stacie Ritter is a hardworking mother of twins who lives in Pennsylvania.  Her daughters, now 11, were diagnosed with leukemia when they were four. They both needed stem cell transplants and other cancer treatments. The twins survived, but the glands controlling their growth were damaged beyond repair from the treatment. To continue growing, they needed doctor-recommended growth-hormone injections regularly.

Stacie’s husband’s company switched to CIGNA health insurance, and CIGNA refused to cover the hormone shots. Each time Stacie takes her daughters to the doctor for the shots, it costs her $440. Between the cancer treatment and the denied care, Stacie and her husband had to file for bankruptcy.

Dawn Smith denied care by CIGNA until they are in the  spotlight

In 2005, Dawn Smith was diagnosed with a brain tumor-then in 2007, a second one. After a battery of tests, three doctors from three leading health care systems in the metro Atlanta area agreed that her only chance for a cure was to see a specialist at Cleveland Clinic or Washington University’s Center for Advanced Medicine. Yet for two whole years, CIGNA has refused me the care she need. Then, CIGNA’s pharmacy called to say that the co-pay on the medicine that helps control her debilitating head pain is skyrocketing from $10 to $1,115.

Now that the spotlight’s on them, they’re changing their tune. CIGNA said they would pay for a test Dawn has been asking for the Cleveland Clinic. It was a step in the right direction. But after two years of denials, and with a long course of treatment ahead of me, we  knew better than to just take them at their word. Unfortunately, they didn’t offer any explanation for all the previous denials or a guarantee that they’ll approve the next step in Dawn’s treatment.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Annette Noe denied care by CIGNA until they are in the spotlight

Doug Noe’s daughter 3 year-old daughter Annette had been born deaf and needed a pair of high-tech devices known as cochlear implants, one for each ear, to hear and develop normal speech. But days before the scheduled surgery, CIGNA, to whom Noe had been paying $600 monthly premiums, okayed just one implant-deeming the second “experimental.”

Noe, 60, decided to e-mail Moore Moore and tell him his story. He also fired off a letter to CIGNA: “The noted filmmaker Michael Moore is gathering health-care horror stories. Has your CEO ever been in a film before?”

The day before a conference call last May to argue his case, Noe got a voice mail from CIGNA saying the company had “redecided” his appeal. While not commenting on the specifics, CIGNA’s Dr. Jeffrey Kang says that, at that time, it was their policy not to cover two implants because of a risk for bacterial meningitis. But Annette Noe is making great progress with the two implants she received. “How can anybody deny treatment for a child with disabilities?” asks her father. “In this country?”

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20061418,00.html

CIGNA doctors miss cancer diagnosis for 2 years

For two years the CIGNA doctors could not find out what was wrong with Virgie Spense’s  husband, Bill. Worried about her husband’s failing health she went out of network to The Simpson Medical Clinic in Santa Barbara in 1993. The first night at the hospital the ENT specialist gave the couple a preliminary diagnosis that was confirmed within three days by a biopsy. Those three days saved his life. He sadly passed away in 2009 from a repeat of the same disease but he had 15 years of relative good health in between.  At first CIGNA tried to not pay for Spence’s out-of-network bills, but after countless meetings the bills were paid. Once Spence was in remission the couple obtained a different carrier for their future medical needs.

www.UnitedPatientsOfAmerica.org

CIGNA insurance company rules leads to complications and return to hospital

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Ruby Calad, from Houston, underwent surgery for a hysterectomy. She was insured by CIGNA HealthCare of Texas, Inc. through her husbands employer. CIGNA would pay for only one days stay in the hospital, even though Calads physician recommended longer care. Calad suffered complications, forcing her to return to the emergency room a few days after being released.

http://onthedocket.org/cases/2003/aetna-health-inc-et-al-v-davila-juan-cigna-healthcare-texas-inc-v-calad-ruby-et-al-062120

CIGNA has not sent disability for lung cancer

ReginaAtchinson has You were reading a complaint about CIGNA.

Filing a new complaint about

small cell lung cancer and can not work. CIGNA has not even responded to her disability claim yet and she haven’t received a single payment. As she posted on a blog  — ” I have had  to cancel two doctor appointments because I don’t have the money to pay for them. It is now February 18th and I have an appointment with my Oncologist on March 6th. If I don’t receive a payment by then I’ll have to cancel that appointment also. I am supposed to get another CT scan on the 6th to see if my tumor has shrunk yet. I also have brain radiation appointments that I can not keep. Each doctor’s appointment cost me $30 (co-pay) but, without my disability, I can not go to the doctors. What is going on here? I can’t even get CIGNA to return my calls.

http://cigna.pissedconsumer.com/cigna-has-not-sent-disability-for-lung-cancer-20080217113278.html

Mother wins suit with CIGNA to get daughter needed care.

Suzanne Bynum’s daughter Katrina was born with a severely twisted neck and an abnormally asymmetrical head.  Ms. Bynum’s doctors recommended the DOC procedure - to ensure the condition did not lead to further deformities or physical impairments of the facial region, such as malocclusion of the mandible. “The procedure cost a total of $3,000.  Katrina’s Claim was filed with CIGNA on May 16, 2000, and the next day one of CIGNA’s Medical Directors wrote Ms. Bynum a denial letter, advising, after “careful review,” that CIGNA had “determined that coverage is not available … because cosmetic services are not covered.” CIGNA’s denial letter offered no explanation of what constituted a cosmetic service, and the Plan contains no definition for either the terms “cosmetic” or “cosmetic services.”  With the lawsuit, CIGNA was forced to cover this treatment.

http://openjurist.org/287/f3d/305/bynum-v-cigna-healthcare-of-north-carolina-incorporated

CIGNA Asks - Is Chemo Medically Necessary?

This is actually the second time I have been with CIGNA, not by choice, it was chosen by the company I work for. The first time I was with CIGNA my oldest child was diagnosed with cancer, they actually sent me a form to fill out and ask if Chemo was medically necessary, what a joke of an insurance company. Hopefully our company will change carriers since there have been so many issues with CIGNA.

Posted By: Upset with Cigna on 10/1/2009

http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=63726

CIGNA requires end stage renal failure patient to halt life-saving medicine

By means of a back story, I have had type I diabetes for 48+ years with end stage renal failure (ESRF). Because of this I also suffer from severe anemia. Two years prior to my husband’s company switching to Cigna my anemia was managed successfully by a drug called Procrit. Once my insurance was switched to Cigna, the authorization for Procrit was DENIED based upon the fact that my “numbers” were within normal range.

This, as you might imagine, was due to the fact that I was on the Procrit. Cigna has now required me to go off the Procrit (thus experiencing severe anemic consequences)so as to prove I need the Procrit. In addition, they will NOT provide either me or my MD with the level that would qualify me for this drug! I am not not only frustrated but physically sick due to Cigna’s mismanagement of their program!

Posted By: jye on 7/9/2009

Fed up with CIGNA Exclusions and Catch -22’s

Since switching to Cigna since the start of the year, I have been beyond stressed, frazzled and amazed at how horrible coverage is. There are ‘exclusion clauses’, the fine print of insurance companies, everywhere, which have excluded us from services several times so far. And it’s only March. One example: They won’t cover speech therapy for my 4 year old son unless he has an official diagnosis of autism. But, they won’t cover ANY of the doctors/clinicians that can give that diagnosis. (And there are several different kinds of practitioners who can do this). I’m quite sure this was by design. I am disgusted beyond belief.

osted By: asdmom on 3/14/2008

Sources of Cigna stories

§  http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org

§  http://www.pissedconsumer.com/

§  http://crooksandliars.com/

§  http://openjurist.org

§  http://www.my3cents.com

§  www.fiercehealthcare.com

Senate Finance Committee Mark

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Click here to download the markup.

Click here to download the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the Senate Finance Markup.

Massachusetts Democratic Platform Amendments

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Click here to download PDA’s amendments, including the amendment to support single payer health reform.

Click here to download the amendment to vote down the proposed platform.

Vote YES on Health Care As a Human Right!

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

On November 4th, Massachusetts residents in ten legislative districts will vote on the following ballot question:

Shall the representative from this district be instructed (1) to support legislation that would establish health care as a human right regardless of age, state of health or employment status, by creating a single payer health insurance system that is comprehensive, cost effective, and publicly provided to all residents of Massachusetts, and (2) to oppose any laws penalizing the uninsured for failing to obtain health insurance?

VOTING YES Would Mean:

  • Controlling the costs of health care without reducing quality of care.
  • Guaranteeing access to comprehensive care for every resident of Massachusetts.
  • Allowing all residents free choice of doctors and hospitals, with no limited “networks.”
  • Saving businesses, municipalities, and the state hundreds of millions in spending on health care in the coming years.
  • Allowing doctors, nurses, and other care providers to provide needed care to their patients regardless of their income or insurance status.
  • Opposing attempts to shift the health care crisis onto the shoulders of individual households through “individual mandates.”

THE BALLOT QUESTION WILL APPEAR in the following districts and cities/towns:

  • First Hampshire District: consisting of Hatfield, Montgomery, Northampton, Southampton, and Westhampton.
  • Third Hampshire District: consisting of Amherst and Granby.
  • Second Franklin District: consisting of Athol, Erving, Gill, Greenfield, Orange, and Warwick.
  • Fifth Middlesex District: consisting of Millis (precincts 2 and 3), Natick (precincts 1 through 9), and Sherborn.
  • Twelfth Middlesex District: consisting of Newton (ward 5 precincts 1 through 3; ward 6; ward 7 precincts 1, 3, and 4; and ward 8).
  • First Barnstable: consisting of Brewster, Dennis, and Yarmouth (precincts 1, 2, 4, and 7).
  • Fourth Barnstable: consisting of Chatham, Eastham, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet.
  • Barnstable, Dukes & Nantucket: consisting of Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Falmouth (precincts 1, 2, 5, and 6), Gosnold, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and West Tisbury.
  • Tenth Suffolk: consisting of Boston (ward 20 precincts 3, 5 through 7, and 10 through 20).
  • Fourth Plymouth: consisting of Marshfield and Scituate (precincts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6).

BALLOT QUESTION NUMBERS:

The health care as a human right ballot question will appear as Ballot Question #4 in all cities and towns, except for Amherst, Orelans, Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Gosnold, Oak Bluffs, and West Tisbury where it will appear as Ballot Question #5, and in Tisbury where it will appear as Ballot Question #6.

RESOURCES IN SUPPORT OF HEALTH CARE AS A HUMAN RIGHT: