Article 91 Dennis Main Motion¶
Arlington Town Meeting — Main Motion
ARTICLE NO. 91 Dated: 4/23/2026
I, Greg Dennis, do hereby submit the following Motion:
Voted:
That Town Meeting does and hereby resolves as follows:
WHEREAS, the United States remains one of the few developed nations that does
not have a publicly-funded system of universal health care and sees health
outcomes far lower and health costs far higher compared to other developed
nations; and
WHEREAS, the current patchwork system of health insurance provided by
multiple private companies incurs administrative and overhead costs as much as 10
times that of traditional Medicare, yet fails to provide comprehensive, affordable,
quality health care to all Massachusetts residents; and
WHEREAS, more than 40% of Massachusetts residents report difficulty affording
health care and the Massachusetts Division of Insurance approved an average
health insurance rate increase of 11.5% for 2026; and
WHEREAS, the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will strip approximately $3.5
billion annually in funding for health care from Massachusetts and cause up to
300,000 Massachusetts residents to lose health insurance; and
WHEREAS, the escalating costs incurred under the current health care system
continue to pose an unnecessary burden on the residents, businesses, and
government of Arlington; and
WHEREAS, the bill entitled “An Act Establishing Medicare for all in
Massachusetts” before the state legislature would establish a single-payer system
of universal health care in Massachusetts through the creation of a health care trust,
funded in part by a payroll tax that would cost less than the health insurance
premiums most pay today, while providing comprehensive medical, dental, vision,
and long-term care regardless of income or employment status; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of said bill would eliminate over $54 billion in
unnecessary spending and return nearly $30 billion to the Massachusetts economy
annually, according to researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of said bill would have saved Arlington over $16
million in FY2027, eliminating the need for the FY2027 override, and had it been
enacted a decade ago, would have saved Arlington nearly $100 million to date; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of said bill would save the average town employee
over $2,700 per year in premiums while delivering additional savings through the
elimination of co-insurance, co-pays and deductibles; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of said bill would establish a funding mechanism for
health care independent from that of the federal government and beyond the reach
of the Trump administration; and
WHEREAS, 74.9% of Arlington voters in the 23rd Middlesex district in November
2022 and 72.5% of Arlington voters in the 24th Middlesex district in November
2024 voted “Yes” on a ballot question to “create a single-payer system of universal
health care” in Massachusetts.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Arlington, through the
2026 Annual Town Meeting, endorse and support House bill H.1405 and Senate
bill S.860, “An Act Establishing Medicare for all in Massachusetts,” and any
subsequent refilings of substantially similar legislation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk shall cause copies of this
Resolution be sent to State Senator Friedman, State Representatives Garballey and
Rogers, Governor Healey, and members of the Joint Committee on Health Care
Financing.
Comment:
Initial submission of a main motion. This is not a revision, substitute, or
amendment to a previously submitted motion.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Greg Dennis
Precinct 1
Date Voted: ____________
Action Taken: __________
