Testimony Before State of Connecticut Human Services Committee
February 23, 1999

My name is Dr. John Battista. I’m a practicing physician from New Milford. My colleague, Dr. Justine McCabe and I are here to speak on behalf of the CT Coalition for Universal Health Care.

We support the intentions of the Human Services Committee to extend health insurance to all Connecticut residents.

However, we strongly object to backdoor, piecemeal attempts to provide universal health insurance such as the Husky Plan. Husky is one more Band-Aid in a patchwork of remedies to a health care crisis that demands fundamental change. Although well intentioned, the extension of the Husky Plan also extends the inherent problems of a multi-payer, multi-tiered, managed care system.

Instead, we urge you to amend the Husky Bill to implement the most cost-effective, and only democratic solution for universal health care in Connecticut: a public, single-payer health insurance plan.

Such a taxed-based, single-payer insurance plan is best for at least three reasons:

First: Research has shown that it is the only universal health care system that can save money for the average citizen and business as well as decrease Connecticut’s health care budget. This conclusion is supported by the 1992 and 1995 reports of the CT State Office of Health Care Access and most recently in a study commissioned by the Massachusetts Medical Society. That study found that by converting to a publicly-financed, single payer system, Massachusetts would provide health coverage to all its residents while saving billions of dollars per year.

These savings are primarily possible by reducing the unnecessary administrative costs inherent in for-profit, multi-payer, managed-care systems.

SECOND: A single-payer system solves the quality of care problems created by managed care. It eliminates pre-approvals, restores patient confidentiality and choice of any licensed caregiver, and it supports continuity of the doctor-patient relationship.

THIRD: A single-payer health insurance plan creates a democratic and ethical health care system for Connecticut. It would replace our autocratic managed-care system with democratic negotiation among one insuring agency, health caregivers and consumers. Most importantly, a single-payer health plan insists on the American principle that health care--like public education--is the right of all and not just the privilege of those who can pay.

In closing, Winston Churchill said, "You can count on Americans to do the right thing, but only after they have tried everything else."

We have tried everything else with health care. We urge the Committee to reject yet another bureaucratic Band-Aide for our ailing multi-payer, managed care system, and do the right thing by amending the Husky Bill to a single-payer health insurance plan for all residents of CT.

We urge you to make the Constitution State, "The Democratic Health Care State"—as well as the insurance capital of the world.

Thank you.