About Us

HCHR HISTORY

Health Care Is a Human Right WA is a grassroots community-labor campaign formed in 2014 to secure the fundamental right to health care for all individuals in WA State and our nation. At that time, the ACA was being implemented with the active support of many of our 22 original endorsing organizations. Despite the ACA’s major gains in coverage for the uninsured, standards of required benefits and insurance reforms, it was clear that that tens of millions would be left out, including undocumented immigrants. It was also clear that Congress and the Administration lacked the political will to go further towards enacting a universal national health plan, bringing costs under control and curbing the role of private insurance.

HCHR was chaired by WSLC President Jeff Johnson and later by WSLC Strategic Campaign Director Teresa Mosqueda.  Our first focus was building grassroots support for WA to adopt a commitment to universal coverage in our state. We were inspired by the example of advocates in Vermont, who had won a state law recognizing health care as a universal human right and then planned to seek federal support through the ACA’s Section 1332 waivers. HCHR made significant progress through outreach and extensive canvassing, led by WA CAN. In 2015-16 we worked with progressive legislators and organized grassroots lobbying for a bill to establish WA’s goal of universal coverage by 2020, but HB 1321 did not advance. 

The elections of 2016 brought the real threat that the ACA might be repealed. At the start of 2017, HCHR shifted gears to organize in defense of the ACA, Medicaid, Medicare and reproductive health and Planned Parenthood, and significantly broadened our organizational alliances for this campaign, which included a toolkit with key information about each Congressional District (see examples for CD 3 and CD 5), multiple sign-on letters to the WA Congressional delegation, media work and meetings with elected . We also pivoted to advocate Medicare for All as a national solution with 72 organizations signing on to a letter to Senators Murray and Cantwell. Our labor members led a successful effort for adoption of a resolution endorsing Medicare for All at the 2017 WSLC convention. WSLC Legislative Director Eric Gonzalez chaired HCHR after Teresa left to run for Seattle City Council - successfully!

Highlights Since 2017

2018

• Highlighted state and federal health care issues for election season; some member organizations and individuals participated in canvassing for progressive candidates

• Worked with Rep. Jayapal to update and then promote the State Based Universal Health Care Act (SBUHCA) which adds stronger waiver options to the ACA to enable states to create universal public plans.

• Eric Gonzalez, WSLC Legislative Director and HCHR Chair, leaves to be Legislative Director of ACLU WA at end of 2018. HCHR Steering Committee reorganizes leadership roles.

2019

• “Winning Universal Health Care: Federal, State and Local Action” Well-attended forum at El Centro de la Raza kick-started our work in Olympia and our federal advocacy; attended by Rep. Jayapal (by video) and 6 state and local legislators.

• Worked to rebuild our Steering, Policy and Organizing committees and communications platform.

• Helped advance Pathway to Universal Health Care bill in Olympia, leading to creation of Universal Health Care Work Group; helped get single payer advocates selected for the Work Group; supported many other health care gains in the legislative session.

• Worked with Rep. Jayapal before introduction of her Medicare for All bill, HR 1384; helped make Seattle the first city to endorse it by resolution

• Helped organize action on drug prices at Seattle Federal Building

• Worked with Rep. Ro Khanna on reintroduction of the State Based Universal Health Care Act (SBUHC) and engaged national single-payer movement to support SBUHC as adjunct to the campaign for Medicare for All.

• Helped organize HCHR’s labor members for resolution at WSLC convention reaffirming labor support for Medicare for All

• Actively supported UFCW 21 grocery campaign and SEIU 1199NW/WSNA/UFCW 21 Swedish-Providence campaign and strike

• General meeting adopted 2020 platform with nearly complete participation of HCHR sponsoring organizations

2020

• Supported UHC Work Group with public input and strategized with WG members to promote Option A (universal state plan, publicly funded and administered), which was supported by a majority of WG members in a final poll.

• Further developed committees, communications and outreach, adding new member organizations. 

• Gathered broad organizational support for sign-on letters to WA delegation re: principles for just COVID relief, Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act (HCEGA)

• Supported health care unions’ campaign for PPE and members participated in the protest movement for racial justice

• Organized well-attended Zoom General meetings

•  with Rep. Jayapal, featuring Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act,

•  With Seattle City Council re: urgency of racial equity, acknowledging racism as public health crisis, need for police/public safety reform 

• Helped organize for the WSLC resolution reaffirming support for Medicare for All, which passed unanimously by roll call vote

• Engaged with Governor's Safe Start Advisory Groups

• Held 1st ever retreat, helping us deepen commitment to centering racial equity as key to strengthening our community-labor campaign’s capacity to win (“Desired State”).

• Some member organizations  and individuals lent active support and canvassed for state and federal election campaigns

• Well-attended December general meeting adopted 2021 policy priorities.

2021: Top 10 Accomplishments

1. 2021 WA Legislative Session wins on bills we prioritized:  Permanent Universal Health Care Commission, Medicaid postpartum coverage, Cascade Care affordability, health system cost transparency, behavioral health consumer advocacy & crisis hotline, increase immigrant access, study on expanding dental therapy, preserve safety net funds, increase COVID and public health funding, capital gains tax. 

2. Sustained federal advocacy for Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act, Medicare for All, SBUHC, and Build Back Better agenda

• Organized 12 Congressional meetings with good cross-sections of our coalition, most with DC staff, 2 with Sen. Murray

• Generated numerous action alerts and group letters to the WA Delegation

• Sent substantive policy recommendations to Congressional leaders at request of Sen. Murray & Energy & Commerce Chair Rep. Pallone 

• Worked with growing number of national advocacy partners (Social Security Works, People’s Action, Physicians for a National Health Program, National Nurses United, Labor Campaign for Single Payer, Healthcare NOW, One Payer States, AFL-CIO . . .)

3. Well-attended teach-in on Medicare for All, Medicare Expansion & “Medicare Cliff” featuring Rep. Jayapal’s health policy director

4. For the 4th time since 2017, HCHR’s State Labor Council-affiliated members sponsored a healthcare resolution for WSLC convention supporting Medicare for All and, for the first time, SBUHC; passed by 94%. 

5. Well-attended forum with federal & state lawmakers on next steps to universal health care 

6. Generated WA legislators’ letter to Congressional Delegation supporting State Based Universal Health Care Act. 

7. Universal Health Care Commission nominations: All 6 Governor appointees were nominated either by HCHR, our member HCFA-WA or both

8. Growing and strengthening our coalition

• Recruited 7 new sponsoring members and 2 new allied members, good steps towards strengthening our community-labor coalition and centering BIPOC voices.

• Worked with students in the the UW MPH Program and Tacoma CC Bachelors of Applied Science in Community Health program

9. Preparing for 2022 

• Adopted the 2022 Federal and State Policy Platform at December general meeting, with participation of 38 of our 39 voting (sponsoring) member organizations.

• Formed “HUHCCS” subcommittee of our Policy Committee to support the UHC Commission and keep it true to its legislated goal:  a universal, publicly funded health plan for all Washingtonians 

10.  Building a more sustainable organization - developing leadership, preparing for modest but sustainable funding system and stronger communications capacity

2022 Accomplishments

• Historic Labor Wins:

  • 2019 Strike by Swedish-Providence SEIU 1199NW healthcare workers led to an early settlement in 2022.

  • Washington State Nurses Association members at Seattle Children's Hospital Informational picket led to significant inroads in competitive wages and stabilizing staffing

• Hosted a Voter Education and Registration Cookout in Auburn with a focus on BIPOC youth. WA CAN registered several new voters, many of them were young people. Lika Smith with Pacific Islander Health Board set up a table to distribute several different necessities to people in need of them: baby formula, diapers, face masks, hand sanitizer, and more!

• Helped pass WA bills lowering healthcare costs (prescription drugs, balance billing) and budget provisos creating pathways to coverage for all adult immigrants.

• Presented a post-legislature general meeting on What’s Next for Racial Equity and Affordability?

• Joined with PSARA to launch state-wide and national campaigns to halt ACO REACH and Medicare privatization, supported so far by 123 WA-state organizations and over 860 community leaders. 

• Ten of HCHR’s WSLC-affiliated members submitted a resolution to the WSLC Convention to reaffirm support for health care as a human right and to call on the WSLC to begin a labor dialogue on how best to achieve universal health care in our state.  It passed unanimously.

• Brought consumer voices before the Health Care Cost Transparency Board to balance the outsized influence of hospitals and other healthcare industry interests.

• Engaged the Universal Health Care Commission to keep them on track, true to their mission to design a public health care system for all Washingtonians with a unified financing system.