Category: Current issues

Health Care Reform for the US

Are you concerned about US health care and how it operates? Do you want to help the LWV strengthen its position on this important issue? Here is an opportunity to join league members throughout the US to take action. LWV members work at the local, state, and national levels on various matters that the league considers important. From their study, they write and adopt Position Papers that other leagues may use to bolster their support or opposition to various legislative and election initiatives (not candidates). Read on and see how you can take direct action on Health Care reform.

HCR4US Toolkit: https://lwvhealthcarereform.org/#latest-newsletter.  

(From that page, you will also find a link to all past newsletters.)

DECEMBER, 2023 NEWSLETTER

This month, the ink is barely dry on LWV of Vermont’s new state position against PRIVATIZATION in Health Care, adopted at a special convention December 14.  Already we see Leagues in other states who might be eager to have their states adopt the position by concurrence.  My home state MA, for example, already has a bill in the House to force greater transparency in nursing home ownership to slow private equity (PE) raids on our medical assets.  CA, OR, and NY legislatures go one better: they have bills to *regulate* mergers and other transactions involving private equity which will let the states challenge such deals and also make them harder to pull off with PE’s customary secrecy. 

Of course, we’d love to have LWVUS join in advocacy against these predatory forms of private ownership, but that might be a heavier lift than we can manage for this year.  Still, if we could get delegates at the convention to adopt an update to the current LWVUS privatization position–based on Vermont’s–that one action would make it available to all the states to use within their state and local governments.  So, look in the newsletter for news on the whys and hows of LWVVT’s study for a new position.  Then it will be a little “deja vu all over again,” as health care advocates gear up for a grassroots campaign to help bring Vermont’s topic to the LWVUS Program Planning process (in January and February, for the June convention).In the newsletter, we also report on our continuing work on the intersection of Health Care with other issues, this month Climate, and also more news (and reflection) about AI.

HCR4US is a nationwide effort among LWV chapters at the state and local levels to promote a national LWV Position Paper on health care reform.

submitted by–Barbara Pearson (MA), Candy Birch (FL & KS), Jon Li (CA), MaryLynne Courtney (WA), with guest contributors Betty Keller (VT) and Judy Esterquest (WA).

Good Government, Transparency, and Citizen Participation

Citizen Participation and Access

“The League of Women Voters believes democratic government depends upon the informed and active participation of its citizens and requires that governmental bodies protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings, and making public records accessible.” LWVUS Principles “We must promote an open governmental system that is representative, accountable and responsive.”

League of Women Voters® of Oregon works to encourage active and informed participation in government and to increase understanding of major policy issues. The League seeks to empower citizens to understand governmental issues and to participate in the political process.

What does this mean for us? You can

1. Observe government in action: See our Observer Corps

Here is our recent invitation to participate.

One of the exciting developments of the last year in our local League of Women Voters Klamath chapter is the gathering momentum of the Observer Corps. We have been making a presence in the community, monitoring city and county meetings, such as the City Council, The Klamath County Commissioners, and the Klamath County School Board. It’s been amazing to see how much coverage a small core of people can accomplish. But we can accomplish so much more with your help. That’s why we invite any and all of you to join us in this very satisfying community work.

The National League of Women Voters encourages this activity at local chapters, not just to observe meetings, but also to make recommendations on behalf of the public interest, which we have already started to do with good results.

Perhaps it is best said in the words of Leslie Lowe: “It seems to me the best job we can do as LWV Klamath at this point is to show our elected officials that transparency and community involvement is very important, and they best not ignore that. So being present as the county develops a strategic plan is of value to make sure that they really consider the whole community and not just the folks that look like them.”

This is vital work for our time and certainly vital for our place. We are uncovering a general disregard for transparency and a lackluster attitude to community involvement in Klamath.

2. Make your voice heard: The League of Women Voters says,

Citizen’s Right to Know/Citizen Participation – (We) Protect the citizen’s right to know and facilitate citizen participation in government decision-making.

3. Become an informed voter

4. Vote in all elections and races

see- When We All Vote, US Vote Foundation

5. Support local groups that work fairly and democratically (emphasis on facts, research, fairness, inclusiveness, respect)

Rural Organizing Project (“Bridging Divides, Defending Dignity”)

Next Up Oregon

Common Cause

Conference on Civil and Human Rights

6. Help new voters

7. Learn about Oregon’s democratic participation rates

8. Research what other groups say about the meaning of good government.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/good-governance/about-good-governance

https://www.lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/mission

LWV Healthcare Reform

Healthcare Reform Toolkit

Mission: The website and our network are dedicated to educating and mobilizing League members to work toward legislation and other reforms that enact the goals of our LWVUS health care position, with a strong focus on expanded and improved Medicare for All (a single-payer system). The materials are varied for different audiences, and they include pointers to resources for those who want to delve more deeply, and/or would like to do programming for local League or community meetings.

Read the latest newsletter!

For this month, we explore health care in Rural areas, especially what it might mean for hastening fundamental change in health care administration. That is, it is not a description of how health systems are working in a rural setting, but rather a brief round-up of examples where they aren’t working.  We want to bring attention to what might be a brief window of opportunity to change directions.  For now, the hopeful note in the slogan of  National Rural Health Day, “the Power of Rural,” still resonates, especially if the public sector has less competition from the commercial sector and its lobbyists.  However, the non-profit financial watchdog organization, Private Equity Stakeholders Project, (PESP) has sounded the alarm that Private Equity is already “descending” on rural health. Their mission is to do the research and also work with communities to bring about change. 

The newsletter also shares a couple of pieces from our “mailbag” which continue the theme of greed that seems to be all over the media. This month, it’s  big Pharma Greed and unpunished insurance fraud. 

January, 2023 newsletter

Building Trust: Oregon Secretary of State

Oregon receives national praise for Voting in Oregon Feels Good ad campaign.

Last year, Secretary Fagan and the Oregon Elections Division used an innovative approach to fight false election information: ads! The Voting In Oregon Feels Good campaign addressed issues like election security and Oregon’s new postmark rule. The ads were viewed 14 million times during the fall of 2022 and drove a 259% increase in traffic to election information online. Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians viewed accurate information who probably wouldn’t have without this public education campaign. 

The campaign is receiving national praise for its innovative use of ads to “pre-bunk” false information. Staff members from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office presented the campaign at the National Association of State Elections Directors annual conference on February 17. 

State Archives Featured Black In Oregon in February.

As part of our recognition of Black History Month, the State Archives featured Black In Oregon, an online exhibit that uses archival records to illuminate the courage and resilience of Black pioneers who built lives for themselves and their families in Oregon.  

The exhibit puts their experiences in context with chronologies and related resources before telling their stories augmented by photos and original documents.  

Visit the exhibit online.  

Secretary Fagan Released the 2023 Protect Our Democracy Agenda.

Anti-democracy forces in our country are eroding trust and threatening our right to vote. In Oregon, we have a strong pro-democracy track record and the 2023 Protect Our Democracy Agenda is a roadmap for how Oregon can defend its record.  

The Protect our Democracy Agenda includes five areas of focus where we can build on Oregon’s history as a pro-democracy state. They include Investing in free, fair, accessible and secure elections, expanding access to our democracy, election security, successfully implementing campaign finance reform and updates to election laws 

Read the release or see the Secretary’s letter to state legislators, calling on them to lead in the fight to protect our democracy.  

The League of Women Voters’ Position on Defending Democracy

Citizen Participation and Access

“The League of Women Voters believes democratic government depends upon the informed and active participation of its citizens and requires that governmental bodies protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings, and making public records accessible.” LWVUS Principles “We must promote an open governmental system that is representative, accountable and responsive.” LWVUS Representative Government position Citizen participation and access are also important parts of LWVOR positions on Land Use and the Judicial System, and LWVUS positions on Campaign Finance, Citizens Right to Know/ Citizen Participation, Environmental Protection and Pollution Control, Natural Resources Public Participation, United Nations, and International Relations Trade Policy. Because of these scattered positions, we collect here our combined history of advocacy for Citizen Participation and Access.

JOIN US. We work to build a free, fair, participatory democracy with open elections and a majority rule.

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People Not Politicians Ballot Measure

From the People Not Politicians coalition.

What is redistricting?

Redistricting is the process of redrawing the lines that define political districts. For legislative and congressional districts, this typically occurs after the completion of the federal census every ten years. Redistricting should change districts to more accurately reflect the changes in population and interests of constituents.

Learn more HERE.

Current Oregon Process

Every 10 years, the US Census requires that states must re-draw legislative and congressional electoral districts to account for population changes. Currently, these legislative and congressional districts in Oregon are drawn by legislators and subject to a veto by the Governor.

Redistricting in Oregon

  • New district lines based on the 2020 census will be especially important because Oregon is projected to gain a sixth U.S. congressional seat due to population growth.
  • Only four states in the West – including Oregon – don’t have some form of independent redistricting.
  • Only twice since 1911 has the Oregon legislature passed a redistricting plan that became the final adopted plan. Oregon politicians have failed more often than not.

Read more about Oregon’s history of redistricting.

The League of Women Voters of Oregon and Redistricting.

Position statement on Redistricting – Adopted 2007

Congressional and legislative redistricting should advance the fundamental purposes of representative democracy and a republican form of government by affording the people a meaningful choice in electing their representatives and holding the government accountable to the people. The League of Women Voters of Oregon believes that the Oregon legislative and congressional redistricting system should be efficient, adequately funded, based on well-defined criteria, subject to a reasonable and effective timetable, and have an open and public process.

  1. Any redistricting plan should assure that voters are effectively able to hold their public officials accountable, responsible, and responsive, and be based on the following criteria:
    1. Adhere to all federal constitutional and legal requirements, such as that every district should have equal population, be contiguous, and meet the requirements of the Voting Rights Act;
    2. Promote competitiveness and partisan fairness;
    3. Consider other criteria, such as respect for political subdivisions, communities of interest, and geographic barriers.
    4. Any redistricting plan should be developed independently of the Legislature in a nonpartisan manner with substantial public input. The Legislature may be afforded an opportunity to review the plan and accept or reject it.
    5. The Oregon Supreme Court should promptly review and rule on any challenge to a redistricting plan and require adjustments if the criteria have not been met.
    6. Oregon should conduct redistricting only once during each decade following the federal census.

Do you believe in Fair Voter Representation? Volunteer!

The LWVOR is part of and is a leader of the People Not Politicians coalition. You may already know that PNP has refiled its redistricting initiative for 2024 as IP 13 and IP 14. We are preparing for the time when we receive certified ballot titles and begin gathering signatures in earnest for only one of these petitions. Part of our plan is to mail a new petition to many of those voters who signed IP 57 two years ago. To do this we have created an online process to verify the IP 57 signatures with voter registration records and add them to a database. We can then use that database for future mailings and other purposes. You can do this volunteer work from home using your home computer and a website. Very little computer skill is needed for this work, and you may do the work as you have time available. If you can help, please contact Chris Cobey or Norman Turrill.

Election Integrity: One Big Key

False information presents an ongoing threat to elections administration. The National Association of Secretaries of State believes that accurate information, when delivered early and by a trusted messenger, can help prevent the spread of false information.

Did you know?

Oregon’s elections are secure. The voting equipment is never connected to the internet. There are no routers connected to the tabulation system and there never have been.​

Did you know?

Oregon performs post-election reviews after every election that includes a federal or state-wide contest. ​

How does Oregon ensure the results of elections?

The post-election reviews across the state after the November 3, 2020 general election showed conclusively that the results of the election were accurately reported and certified, as they have since Oregon started conducting these audits in 2008. Yo​u can review them here where they are publicly posted for each county​​. 

Oregon law requires random sampling hand counts or risk-limiting audits in all counties following Primary, General, and Special elections. All of Oregon’s 36 county elections officials conducted these reviews, which require hand recounts of ballots, for the 2020 General Elections. All reviews confirmed the certified results.

Forensic audits are not currently a part of conducting elections in Oregon. Although the term “forensic auditing” is widely used and has an accepted definition in fields such as finance and accounting, it does not yet have a uniform definition in regard to elections. In the financial world, forensic audits typically trace issues back to individual transactions or people – this cannot be done in an election, as voters have the right to and expectation of a secret ballot. 

Recent efforts in Arizona and Pennsylvania are not fact-finding missions. Rather, they are based on conspiracy theories and designed to keep dangerous lies about the 2020 election alive to justify future attacks on the freedom to vote. As the U.S. Department of Justice recently warned​, when election records are not under the control of trusted election officials, there are significant security risks.

​For further information on Oregon election laws and post-election procedures:
​

​

Is Voter Fraud a problem in Oregon?

No. Oregon elections are secure and protected against voter fraud in all but exceedingly rare instances. In 2020, out of millions of votes cast, residents and local elections officials reported 140 instances of potential voter fraud. Of these 140 cases, four cases were referred to the Oregon Department of Justice and two of those are pending resolution.​

By comparison, in 2018 there were a total of 84 total reports of voter fraud. Two were referred to the Department of Justice. 

A recent review of the vote by mail system by the state’s Legislative Fiscal Office found from 2000-2019 there were approximately 61 million ballots cast. Of those, 38 criminal convictions of voter fraud were obtained. This amounts to a .00006% rate. ​

What controls are in place to protect against cybercriminals?

We closely monitor our systems for suspicious activity and frequently test for vulnerabilities. Our staff are routinely trained on how to appropriately handle suspicious email and other threats to prevent unauthorized access or tampering. 

More specifically, we have programs, policies, and plans in place to address and mitigate security breaches. ​We work with partners such as: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) to ensure best practices are used to protect our elections and their supporting systems.​

We practice Defense in Depth​ with administrative, technical, and managerial security controls. Layers of security controls provide several ways of monitoring and responding to malicious access attempts to our systems. Any successful access to our system has been reviewed by multiple security checks and verifications.

We routinely perform threat analysis and risk assessments. Assessments are conducted by internal staff as well as contracted third parties. As a result, we continue to improve security processes and protections to maintain secure, private, and accurate election infrastructure.
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​Preventative, Detection, and Response Measures

We use preventative, detection, and response measures including:​

Risk and vulnerability management
Network and endpoint security
Continuous monitoring of systems
Incident management and response planning
Routine security training​

from– https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/pages/security.aspx

New Oregon Postmark Law 

A new law known as the “postmark rule” will ensure that every ballot cast on time gets counted by allowing elections officials to count all ballots postmarked by Election Day, even if they arrive at the elections office up to 7 days later.

What this means:

  • Some ballots that were cast on time may arrive at elections offices after Election Day. So the total number of votes will go up in the days following the election as more votes come in. These are not late votes. Every ballot counted will have been cast on time, which elections officials can verify by a USPS postmark. 
  • This means that election results may take a little longer to compile than in previous years. Even if the results come in a little slower, they will be accurate.
  • The Oregon Legislature passed the new law in 2021.

Your Human Right to Vote

UPDATE

This is an update from the Human Rights Special Interest Group. (HRSIG) You have seen and appreciated their work on United Nations ART that is inspired by human rights and heard their presentations on UN Goals for a sustainable future and women’s human rights.

We are pleased to announce their latest work on Your Human Right to Vote.  Once again they highlight work of the global community, starting with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This fundamental document states plainly and  unequivocally–the right to vote is a human right. This right is enshrined in many international covenants adopted by Member States of the United Nations.  This right is also included in Amendments to the US Constitution.

Yet, we cannot be complacent–we must continue to protect this human right to vote and raise awareness of infringements on this right, especially in our local communities. We are mindful to Think Globally and Act Locally. Please see the overview of Your Human Right to Vote in their third Briefing Book, available for download here at no cost.  https://www.hrsig.org/_files/ugd/1b370f_5bf53c25af8340da95c6b30238fad8cf.pdf   and go to their website for a list of all their publications and presentations. (www.hrsig.org)

BE AN INFLUENCER

The Human Rights Special Interest Group acts to engage with communities as INFLUENCERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS through storytelling, presentations, advocacy, and publications. Below are some examples of people working in their community to ensure voting rights.

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT (ERA)

The Equal Rights Amendment has deep support from individuals and organizations from coast to coast, yet many of us are unsure of its status today. A recent publication, by our founding member Michele Thorne, explains the Amendment’s status and why the ERA is our 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The article is titled “A New Era for the ERA? Our 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution” and appeared in the Chicago Bar Association Record (May/June 2022). https://ad.wpcappserve.com/appcms/textarticle/index_articlepublish.html?art=10299

STORYTELLING

Understandings about human rights stories are enhanced when shared widely through inspirational storytelling.  Stories resonate with truth and compassion and bring about positive outcomes in our everyday lives.  Here is one story about the scourge of human trafficking in local communities (the manicurist with numbers carved into her hand).  It is written by our founding member Savanna Mapelli.  The story was posted on www.medium.com  in December 2021. https://medium.com/loud-updates/could-my-manicurist-with-numbers-carved-onto-her-hand-be-trafficked-7d818403ec92?sk=258084ac589927f1426204c92c090fd4

COMBAT DISINFORMATION

Accurate information about current events is essential, especially when talking about our human rights.  Founding member Kathleen Montgomery helped develop a presentation titled Fight Truth Decay! Combat Disinformation, which she presented to local community groups, including the League of Women Voters of Orange Coast and the United Nations Association of Orange County. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/una-oc-meeting-hybrid-fight-truth-decay-combat-disinformation-tickets-401839772577

Our Children’s Trust Netflix documentary

Our Children’s Trust has exciting news to share: “YOUTH v GOV” – the independent feature-length, award-winning documentary by acclaimed Director Christi Cooper, Barrelmaker Productions, and Vulcan Productions about their federal case, Juliana v. United States – will begin streaming globally on Netflix starting April 29th!
  This is an incredible opportunity to watch the story of the Juliana 21 and their critical climate case, all around the world!
Image courtesy of Barrelmaker Productions
Watch the trailer on the film’s website here!

The global release of this film – streaming in over 30 languages worldwide – will be the first opportunity millions of people around the world will have to see the stories of these brave young Americans. For millions around the world, it will be their first time hearing about this landmark climate case. And it will be the first time they learn about Our Children’s Trust and the critical work they do to help young climate leaders secure their legal rights to a safe climate.

Every person who sees the film can become an ally, an advocate, and a voice speaking out alongside and in support of the Juliana youth. The plaintiffs await a court decision that, if favorable, could soon put them back on the path to trial.

 Tell others to watch it too! Share the film with everyone you know: friends, family, neighbors, co-workers.

Get Ready to Watch!
One of the simplest but most powerful actions members of our community can take to support these young climate leaders in this moment is to watch the film and share it with others. Help spread the word so that people around the world learn about their case and the durable, sustainable solution to the accelerating climate crisis that these young people are seeking in our courts.

League Position on Climate Change

State and local Leagues, and individual League members, have a critical role to play in helping to limit future climate change and protect the planet.

The League is calling for prompt action to cut this country’s GHG emissions, invest in a clean energy economy, and help the world’s poorest countries tackle the challenges of climate change.

The League believes that climate change is a serious threat facing our nation and planet. The League believes that an international approach to combating climate change — including through energy conservation, air pollution controls, building resilience, and promotion of renewable resources — is necessary to protect public health and defend the overall integrity of the global ecosystem. The League supports climate goals and policies that are consistent with the best available climate science and that will ensure a stable climate system for future generations. Individuals, communities, and governments must continue to address this issue, while considering the ramifications of their decisions, at all levels — local, state, regional, national, and global.

LWV Oregon Gun Safety Portfolio

What’s Happening?

We would like to bring to your attention to the following information in the hopes of increasing awareness of Oregon gun violence prevention efforts.

There are two initiatives, IP 17 and 18 currently circulating for the 2022 General Election to reduce gun violence. Since the League has a policy of not taking a stand on initiatives before they reach the ballot, consider the following to be information only and not an official League endorsement.

The petitions are sponsored by the faith-based coalition Lift Every Voice Oregon and supported by a cadre of organizations and volunteers from across the state:

  • Initiative Petition 17: Requires permit to acquire firearms; police maintain permit/firearm database; criminally prohibits certain ammunition magazines
  • Initiative Petition 18: Prohibits manufacturing/possessing/transferring many semiautomatic firearms; criminal penalties; exceptions require firearm registration, restrict use

How is this related to the League?

The League of Women Voters holds positions on gun safety. Thus the Oregon efforts tie in to national focus on this matter.

Here’s an example of league action on gun control. On November 3rd, 2021, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v Bruen, marking one of the first times that the Supreme Court addressed the scope of the Second Amendment since 2008.   In September 2021, LWVUS, alongside the Leagues of Women Voters of New York and Florida, filed an amicus brief in this case.

The Impact of Gun Laws on Elections 

The amicus brief argued that the New York law is in line with the types of regulations that are allowed under the Second Amendment because it protects the safety of the electoral process.  

There is a long history of firearms being used to intimidate voters, especially voters of color. One Supreme Court Justice concluded that since the beginning of Reconstruction, there has been a “coordinated [system] of intimidation and violence” against voters of color. This history has continued with the wave of voter intimidation in the past few elections. 

Throughout this history of attempts to intimidate voters, the League has fought to secure the safety of election sites. One example is during the 2020 election, when the League fought to protect voters from violence at polling locations in Council on American-Islamic Relations of Minnesota (CAIR-MN) v Atlas Aegis. In this case, a private, armed mercenary organization was hired to monitor various polling sites to prevent “voter fraud.” A federal district court judge blocked the organization from deploying members to intimidate voters and issued a five-year consent decree that prevented actions like this from happening in the future.  

Empirical evidence also shows that guns increase the likelihood of violence during disagreements, and as our amicus brief points out, “conflicts arise at every phase of the electoral process — between voters who support opposing candidates, between protesters and counter-protesters at politically charged rallies, or with election officials counting votes — voters frightful of mixing guns with unrest may limit voting-related activity or even sit out of the electoral process entirely.” 

Ensuring the safety of the elections and the public’s safety while exercising their right to vote is critical. Laws like the ones that have been passed in New York are meant to ensure states and localities have the flexibility and freedom to create laws and regulations that best suit the needs of their communities while protecting the safety of sensitive areas like polling locations. 

LWV will continue to support laws that protect and empower Americans within both our democratic system and daily life.

Who else is working on this issue?

The League of Women Voters works with the Center for American Progress, an independent, nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action.

HERE is an example of their recent report on prevention of gun violence.

Health Reform and Social Justice: Opportunities for Reducing Inequity and Addressing Health Disparities

An Evening with Dr. Susan Rogers, President of Physicians for a National Health Program, October 6, 2021

LWV Klamath County was one of many leagues across the country which co-sponsored this ZOOM presentation.

For this event, the League hosted an evening with Dr. Susan Rogers, President of Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP). Dr. Rogers’s presentation included an overview of the U.S. health care system through a social justice lens, followed by a discussion highlighting disparities resulting from our current policies and opportunities to improve inequities through health reform. The forum concluded with an audience Q&A.

Dr. Rogers is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Rush University. She has recently retired from her hospitalist practice in Chicago at Stroger Hospital of Cook County. She has previously served as co-director of medical student teaching at Stroger and as Medical Director of Near North Health Service Corp, a Chicago FQHC. Most recently, Dr. Rogers spoke at the June California League of Women Voters Annual Convention, providing the presentation: “Health Care: Inequities and Opportunities”.

This forum aimed to educate voters about our current healthcare model and how it impacts local care access, affordability, quality and equity. Our guest speaker provideed insights into how health reform can improve each of these to optimize community health and wellness. The LWVDA supports the National League healthcare positions in support of an affordable, accessible, quality, and equitable health care system, critical for the health, safety and economic security of all communities. Becoming an informed voter is fundamental to ensuring the engagement needed to affect meaningful reform. The future of our community health and healthcare systems will rely upon votes cast by those with a better understanding of current needs and resources and our opportunities to enact needed change.

The Health Reform Forum recording is available here:
https://lwvdavisarea.org
and on You tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huDne6aR4W8

why the league of women voters?

LWV Position: Health Care Reform

Every U.S. resident should have access to affordable, quality health care, including birth control and the privacy to make reproductive choices.  

Why it matters

The U.S. health care system should provide a basic level of quality health care at an affordable cost to all U.S. residents. Basic care includes disease prevention, primary care (including prenatal and reproductive health), acute long-term care, mental health care, as well as health promotion and education. Health care policy goals should include the equitable distribution of services and delivery of care, advancement of medical research and technology, and a reasonable total national expenditure level. 

What we’re doing

Over the past 20 years, we have lobbied for health care policy solutions, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to control costs and ensure a basic level of care for all. Throughout the health care debates of the past few decades, Leagues worked to provide millions of Americans across the country with objective information about the health care system and its significant reforms. This included organizing community education projects, holding public forums and debates, creating and distributing resource materials, and engaging leading policy makers and analysts. 

From the LWV Davis, California study: Some Ways to Evaluate Health and Social Care Needs in Your Community

Health, Behavioral Health, Social Services and Care Information Matrix


What should health care, social services, and behavioral health look like in your community? In your region? Those are important questions for the League to address. If we had universal health and social care in your region, what would need to be improved? What changes would your League recommend?

To cut down the confusion of the complexity of health and social services, there seems to be a natural division: Children have the same developmental issues; Adults have the same issues, generally. Each has Acute Care, Institutional, Behavioral Health and Social Care needs; and the system data needs to be managed:

Children: Acute Care, Institutional, Behavioral Health, Social Care, Data/Information

Institutional: clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, rehabilitation and physical therapy, board and care homes, prisons and jails, in home support services


Behavioral Health (kids, adults, institutions, social services, data/info)
Social Services: housing, employment, transportation, child care, access to health and social services


Data/Information: patient-focused clinic computer program with daily accountability to federal and state standards that are updated annually; document patient care; employee activity; finances; quality control; planning, audit, program evaluation: the daily data/information management structure of a single payer system.

For further information READ this Workbook for Social and Health Care: Questions, Studies, Educational Forums and Organizing