Who We Are
The Health Care is a Human Right Campaign is a grassroots community-labor campaign with the goal of securing the fundamental right to health care for all individuals in Washington State & our nation.
It is made up of supporting organizations and individuals from throughout the state standing together to create a health system that reflects our principles.
Our Principles
We, the people of Washington State, come together to secure the fundamental right to health care for all individuals. It is not a privilege or a commodity. We must act now to create a health care system that promotes public health and the general welfare through laws, policies, and financing guided and shaped by human rights principles.
Universal Access: Everybody in. Nobody out. Universal means everyone has access to healthcare.
Affordability: There are no financial barriers. Everyone can afford to use the healthcare system and access all needed care.
Availability: Full range of benefits as well as facilities and services—including patients’ free choice of trained professionals—are available to all.
Equity: Health care services are delivered in an equitable way, addressing the unique needs and health risks of each human being.
Equality: There is equality for all, without discrimination. The dignity and cultural traditions of patients are respected.
Quality: Each individual enjoys the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, receiving the right care at the right place and at the right time – safe and high quality care.
Participation: Individuals and communities are able to participate actively in the decisions that affect their health, including the development and delivery of health care services.
Accountability: Each part of the health system ensures accountability to patients and the community with appropriate staffing, standards, monitoring and remedies.
Transparency: Information about the healthcare system is transparent, understandable and readily available to all. People have easy access to their personal health information.
Download Principles in: Chinese – English – Russian – Spanish – Vietnamese
Sponsor Organizations
Organizations that make a significant investment of resources (financial, staff, or time), and who, in addition to attending general meetings, serve on committees or subcommittees. Sponsor organizations have one vote at general meetings and appoint a designated representative to give the vote.
Alliance for a Healthy WA
American College of Nurse-Midwives – WA Affiliate
American Federation of Teachers WA
Asian Counseling & Referral Service
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Seattle, AFL CIO
Backbone Campaign
Carolyn Downs/Country Doctor Community Health Centers
Children’s Alliance
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Puget Sound Chapter*
Community Health Network of WA
Democratic Socialists of America – Tacoma
Doctors for America – WA Chapter
Economic Opportunity Institute
Faith Action Network WA
Health Care for All - WA
League of Women Voters of Washington
LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leadership & Organizing)*
Machinists District 751 Retirement Club
NAACP Seattle-King County
National Organization for Women – Tacoma
National Organization for Women – Washington
North Seattle Progressives
Northwest Health Law Advocates
Pacific Islander Health Board of WA
Physicians for a National Health Care Program-Washington
Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
Pro-Choice WA
Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action
Real Change News (was founding Ally)**
Retired Public Employees Council of WA
Save Secular Health Care WA*
SeaMar Community Health Centers
Seattle Indivisible
SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW
Somali Health Board
UAW Local 4121
Washington #insulin4all
Washington CAN!
Washington Federation of State Employees
Washington Poor People’s Campaign
Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Washington Working Families Party
Whole Washington
Committees
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Works to define the overall strategy and budget of the campaign, develop meeting agendas, and ensure that organizational members are supporting campaign core principles. It is comprised of individuals representing sponsor organizations who are dedicated to the HCHR Campaign. Members will include a balance of labor and community organizations; the committee may expand in accordance with campaign goals and progress.
Currently includes representatives from the American Federation of Teachers WA, Health Care for All – WA (HCFA-WA), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance AFL-CIO, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Community Health Plan of WA, NAACP Seattle-King County, North Seattle Progressives, Northwest Health Law Advocates (NOHLA), National Organization of Women Washington(WA NOW), Pacific Islander Health Board, Physicians for a National Health Program – WA (PNHP-WA), Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), SeaMar Community Health Centers, WA Community Action Network (WACAN), and Whole Washington.
Co-Chairs: Ronnie Shure (HCFA WA) and Nathan Rodke (WACAN).
Committee Members: Emily Brice - NoHLA, John Godfrey - WACAN, David Loud - PSARA, Maureen Brinck-Lund - N. Seattle Progressives, Hawa Elias - CPHW, David McLanahan - PNHP & Backbone Campaign, Lika Smith - Pacific Islander Health Board, Vanessa Clifford - Working Families Party, Jim Howe - AFT WA, Gina Owens - WACAN, Cheryl Wapes’a-Mayes - WA NOW, Claude Burfect - NAACP Seattle & Coalition of Black Trade Unionists of Puget Sound, Sybill Hyppolite - WA State Labor Council, Janet Varon - NoHLA, Amy Leong - APALA & LELO, Jesus Sanchez - Sea Mar CHC’s
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Responsible for legislative and policy research, producing white papers or model legislation, producing/commissioning/vetting key research reports that advance our campaign, identifying tools and resources from other states that help advance policy in Washington, and analyzing proposals that emerge. The work of this committee includes tracking progress at the state and federal level.
Currently includes representatives from ACLU WA, Faith Action Network, Health Care For All Washingzton (HCFA-WA), North Seattle Progressives, NW Health Law Advocates (NoHLA), Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), Physicians for a National Health Program Western WA (PNHP-WW), WA Protect our Patients (physician group), WA State Nurses Association (WSNA), and Whole Washington.
Co-Chairs: Hawa Elias (CHPW), Max Lau (Children’s Alliance) and Emily Brice (NoHLA).
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Responsible for creating and executing organizing plans at the grassroots and coalition levels to continually advance the HCHR WA campaign.
Currently includes representatives from IAM 751 (Boeing Machinists) Retirees Club, Pro-Choice Washington, National Organization of Women Washington (Washington NOW), North Seattle Progressives, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), Retired Public Employees Council of WA, Seattle Indivisible, WA State Alliance for Retired Americans, and Whole Washington.
Co-Chairs: John Godfrey (WACAN) and Amy Leong (APALA).
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Responsible for following and engaging in the work of the Washington State Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC). The UHCC was established in 2021, and its role is two-part: to recommend changes that can be made immediately to improve access to care for all Washington residents in the short term and to prepare the state to create a health care system that provides coverage for all Washington residents through a unified financing system.
Currently includes representatives from Health Care for All Washington(HCFA-WA), Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), Washington Community Action Network (WA CAN), and Whole Washington. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings!
Chair: Mo Brinck-Lund (North Seattle Progressives), Marcia Stedman (HCFA-WA), and Raleigh Watts (Whole Washington).
Our Policy Agenda
Allied Organizations
Organizations that sign on in support of the HCHR principles and are invited to general meetings where they have a voice, but not a vote.
ACLU WA
Aerospace Machinists Union 751
American Indian Health Commission of WA
Asian Pacific Islander Coalition — King County
Asian Pacific Islander Coalition — Pierce County
Casa Latina
Congregation Kol Haneshama
Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network*
International Community Health Services
Kadima Reconstructionist Community
Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle
National Alliance on Mental Illness Washington
One America
Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii
Project Access Northwest*
Seattle Indian Health Board
Seattle Raging Grannies
Temple Beth Am
UFCW 3000
Washington State Nurses Association
History of HCHR
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!
