Grant Partners
Health Care For All
Health Care for All (HCFA) will focus its advocacy on achieving an affordable, accessible health care system for all Massachusetts residents. HCFA-led coalitions will work on behalf of consumers, addressing issues such as health reform implementation, oral health, children’s health, and health equity. HCFA will remain the coalition leader for the Campaign for Better Care, Oral Health Advocacy Task Force, and the Affordable Care Today (ACT!!) Coalition.
Health Law Advocates
Health Law Advocates (HLA) will ensure universal access to quality health care in Massachusetts, particularly for those at-risk due to factors such as race, gender, disability, age, or geographic location. HLA supports four initiatives: the Health Care Reform Initiative, the Children’s Mental Health Access Project, the Medical Debt Initiative, and the Pro Bono Legal Network Program. HLA will provide individual representation for Massachusetts residents under 300% FPL who have been denied access to health care or have received unaffordable medical bills, public policy advocacy and, where necessary, class-action litigation.
National Alliance on Mental Illness Massachusetts
The National Alliance on Mental Illness Massachusetts (NAMI Mass) will strive for access to services for all who need them and end the stigma around mental illness. Their strategies include educating families and individuals to understand their illnesses and advocating for needed services. NAMI will strengthen their policy focus on the following issues: a lack of uniform access to health-related benefits; lack of recognition of cost-effective treatment modalities by MassHealth; and inequitable treatment of disability coverage for mental illness.
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition’s Health Access Campaign advocates for health care coverage for all immigrants. MIRA supports bills to lift caps for the Children’s Medical Security Plan, reduce out-of-pocket costs, and reinsert affordability protections for the lowest-income residents ineligible for MassHealth. MIRA will also convene a Task Force on Immigrant Healthcare Professionals to examine barriers to relicensing faced by thousands of foreign-trained health care professionals.
Disability Policy Consortium
Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) will support the civil rights of people with disabilities by providing a unified voice for the community. DPC will promote consumer education and networking, community organizing, grassroots advocacy, policy promotion, and collaborative projects with government and nonprofit entities. It will continue its work with the DAAHR coalition and its Implementation Council, provide cross disability advocacy for access to health care, protect consumer choice and control, influence the implementation of One Care, integrate behavioral health into its work, and prioritize research focused on individuals with disabilities.
Center for Health Impact for Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers
The Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers (MACHW) will promote community health workers’ impact on health access, quality, and equity. MACHW will build out its advocacy agenda focused on promoting the advancement and sustainability of the profession: improving the community health worker practice, certification, and sustainable financing.
Massachusetts Senior Action Council
The Massachusetts Senior Action Council (MSAC) will address key public policy and community issues affecting the health and well-being for the 65 and over population, empowering its members to use their own voices to address key public policy and community issues. Advocacy will focus on the growing disparity in out-of-pocket costs and affordability. MSAC will coordinate the “Bridge the Gap” campaign, which focuses on health care affordability for seniors.
Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (the League) will address the changes in the policy and health care environment with vulnerable populations, community health centers, and their communities. A main goal is to analyze health care reform policies, monitor proposals for change, and educate community health centers and partner organizations. The League will also assemble health centers, community members, providers, and advocates in an action-based coalition for maintaining and expanding coverage.
Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
Greater Boston Interfaith Organization will continue its strategic advocacy agenda focused on health care cost containment, monitoring Chapter 224 implementation, and mobilizing its membership in developing a “train-the-trainer” model. The organization will develop articulated policy positions and principles in holding public and private stakeholders accountable for results, while negotiating with key stakeholders around consumer interests in mitigating rising health care costs.
Health Law Advocates
Health Law Advocates will continue its advocacy work in five areas: health care reform implementation, medical debt advocacy, children’s mental health access, access to oral health care, and pro-bono legal support. Additionally, the organization will provide individual representation for residents who have been denied access to health care or have received unaffordable medical bills.
Disability Policy Consortium
Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) will support the civil rights of people with disabilities by providing a unified voice for the community. DPC will promote consumer education and networking, community organizing, grassroots advocacy, policy promotion, and collaborative projects with government and nonprofit entities. It will continue its work with the DAAHR coalition and its Implementation Council, provide cross disability advocacy for access to health care, protect consumer choice and control, influence the implementation of One Care, integrate behavioral health into its work, and prioritize research focused on individuals with disabilities.
Massachusetts Senior Action Council
Massachusetts Senior Action Council will advocate for health care access for the over 65 population. It will advocate for its constituents around growing out-of-pocket costs and affordability, expanding access to community-based long-term care by eliminating disparities in eligibility for personal care attendant services, and ensuring adequate funding for home care. Finally, the organization will increase awareness of and streamline enrollment for existing senior health care programs.
Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
The League will continue monitoring changes in the health care environment, sharing information with health centers, coalition partners, and state entities. The organization will engage community health center board members to foster active advocacy and policy work to advance adult dental coverage, grow health center pharmacy programs, support the certification of community health workers, and improve health care for homeless people, veterans, and individuals recently released from correctional institutions.
Massachusetts Public Health Association
Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) will focus on community health integration and improving the built environment. MPHA will work with the Alliance for Community Health Integration to ensure that social determinants of health are adequately addressed, in particular through community investments, support for ACOs from MassHealth, and health care institutions’ internal policies.
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute will continue its advocacy with MassHealth and the Connector around issues of eligibility, auto-assignment of health coverage, income determinations, and the availability of resources for assisters from community-based organizations. Additionally, it will continue its work with the Disability Advocates Advancing our Health Care Rights (DAAHR) Coalition on the One Care demonstration for dual-eligible individuals.