HCR12

Healthcare should be a human right.

VOTE yes HCR12

House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs HCR12 Testimony January 30, 2026 Mr. Chair and Honourable members of the committee; My name is Jennifer Coffey. I am a former Republican state representative, having served from 2008 to 2012. Healthcare is one issue Republicans and Democrats find themself fighting side by side on. I spend much of my time talking to patients and families who are fighting their insurance companies for the healthcare they need to live with dignity and a life worth living. I was a first responder and trauma team tech until my second round of cancer. I always had at least two jobs most of my adult life. The cancer destroyed my body, and even today, I sit here knowing I may be losing more of my vision due to treatments I had over a decade ago. It’s an unforgiving disease that most families don’t go untouched by. Due to unlucky genetics, it came with a side order of the most painful disease known to medicine, CRPS, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, the “suicide disease.” 70% of people with it, young and old, consider suicide; they shouldn’t have to when treatment exist but so-called health insurance companies lock people out by denying them care. Refusing to grant prior authorization, loved ones are literally on their knees begging the gods of United Healthcare for their lives. I know, I flew to United Healthcare’s Headquarters in Minnesota, stood in their lobby, and begged for my life. I would challenge you to find one thing health insurance companies do to increase positive outcomes in care. They simply do nothing but get in the way of quality care, denying people the preventative care that could have given them the one thing we all want. More time in this world. What they do is get in the way so they can fund their Gulf Stream jets and buy their 3rd homes. While a kid dies because his asthma medication went from $30 bucks to over 500 dollars. His parents will tell you they wish they had known. His life was worth that $500 dollars, but to the insurance company, profit was worth more. Remember, this money is stolen from our medicare tax dollars. Diverted from their intended purpose of paying for the care and treatments hard-working Americans need and pay into all of their lives. This is not a handout or charity; it is an insurance policy Americans pay into for Americans. I don't know about you, but my first payment to Medicare was around age 14. I had the experience of seeing the Netherlands healthcare system up close; it's amazing to see care given in a timely manner, as it should be. It's not socialized medicine; it's national. The docs still own their practice, and they are paid a reasonable amount for services that allow them to work for the people. Imagine money going directly to care without an eye doctor working for the insurer telling a heart surgeon they are not approving the cardiac ablation needed to send a Dad home to his kids, instead of a funeral home for an early grave. These are some of the reasons Medicare for all would better serve working families. But for it to happen, it will take all of us to stand up and say enough is enough. Allow us to choose a policy that almost every doctor, hospital, and clinic takes, Medicare. Allow me to cross state lines and be seen at Dana Farber. Where I did get my cancer care until my private for-profit health insurance in the form of a Medicare “dis ”advantage plan started charging me for routine care, Medicare says is supposed to be covered 100%. United Healthcare said the doctor was in network, but the building was out of network, so I needed to pay for some of the cost for my cancer screening mammogram. You know to make sure I don't get cancer a third time. I was forced to move my care and tell me how taking away my continuity in care makes my healthcare better? It doesn’t, and I’m still fighting them because they say therapy sessions are not covered by Medicare. When they do pay, they pay less than Medicare and not enough for docs to pay the bills, but they never come up short in their profits. United Healthcare collects about 8 billion dollars a quarter, and the bulk of that is our Medicare tax dollars. Stop giving it! A national healthcare system that aims to provide the best care, not bring in the biggest profits, serves people. We are the only country that denies healthcare unless you are healthy enough to work. Get sick, lose your job, lose your healthcare, lose your world. Trust me, it’s that bad. I know I lost everything and am lucky to even sit here before you today. On paper, I kind of look like I’m dying. According to my biopsy, I’m not even supposed to be able to feel the ground well enough to walk. Despite my health insurance trying to kill me off by denying me access to life-saving care. I’ve had to go to DC and get help from our congressional delegation, as have many others across the country. To get permission for a doctor to save a life. It’s beyond ridiculous; it’s absurd, and it only exists in America. You have a chance to send a message. Saying we the people want a pubic option that allows us to use our own money to fund American healthcare. An agency that uses approximately 1% to work. It doesn’t argue with doctors or tell oncologists to try a less expensive chemo to treat a child with cancer than the medication the doctor believes will save his life. Life and death shouldn’t hinge on the profit margins of private for-profit health insurance companies. I have a provider that had to hire a staffer to do nothing all day, every day, but blue cross and blue shield denials. What life-saving care could that money have covered? How many more medical providers could we have if only the funds were available? This nation already has a serious issue with a lack of access to medical providers. Try to find a primary today. It shouldn’t be this way, and it doesn’t have to if our elected officials fight for us, not the profits of insurance companies. Healthcare should work in the most efficient way, and that is direct care to patients and direct payment of the bill. That's what Medicare does now. It's not perfect, but it's far better than what we have now. Thank you for your time and attention. I'd be happy to answer any questions. Hon. Jennifer Coffey, JP, AA, NREMTI (Ret.) (She, Her) National Volunteer Healthcare Advocate / Storyteller People's Action | People’s Action Institute | Volunteer Member Leader Popular Democracy | People's Chorus | Volunteer Member Leader Rights and Democracy -NH | Rights and Democracy Institute | Volunteer Member Leader jenncoffey16@gmail.com | jenncoffey.com

Healthcare is a human RIGHT! Medicare for all!

I am writing in strong support of HCR 12 and urge the New Hampshire House of Representatives to pass this resolution. HCR 12 affirms a simple but vital truth: health care is a human right, not a privilege tied to employment, income, age, or zip code. Too many people in New Hampshire delay care, ration medications, or face crushing medical debt despite working hard and doing everything “right.” This is not a failure of individuals, it is a failure of our system. A Medicare for All system would guarantee comprehensive, affordable health care to every resident while eliminating premiums, deductibles, and surprise bills that destabilize families and small businesses. It would allow people to seek care when they need it, not when they can afford it, improving both public health outcomes and long-term costs. HCR 12 is not about partisan politics. It is about recognizing that access to health care strengthens our workforce, supports rural communities, protects seniors and people with disabilities, and gives young families the security they need to plan their futures. A healthier population is a stronger, more resilient New Hampshire. Passing HCR 12 sends a clear message that this state believes no one should go bankrupt because they got sick, and no one should have to choose between medical care and basic necessities. I urge the House to support HCR 12 and stand on the side of dignity, fairness, and health for all.

Not much to say beyond healthcare ought to be a human right.

I work in the pharmacy of our local hospital. It is an integer part of the community, I see everyone at least once a month and at times several times a month or even within the same week. Generally our patients are older, on fixed income, but there are young families as well. We often have our customers on sliding scale programs because they cannot afford the vital mediations that they need to stay health and frankly alive. Our hospital has recently needed to make huge budget cuts after the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill and if governance continues in this fashion it’ll be forced to reduce services again, a few year back we lost our birthing center for similar reasons. We know Medicare for all will improve the lives of everyone- we know this. But I wanted to add in that if everyone is paying into such a system then it is also a guarantee that doctors and facilities will receive payment as well for the services that they provide. We can ensure that our hospitals are properly funded in order to meet all of the needs of a local community. Medicare for all will reduce the amount of time doctors have to allocate to fight with insurance companies and allow them to spend more time with patients. I don’t anything I have said is knew to anyone involved in this conversation, but it seems we still need to repeat it. Please support the citizens of New Hampshire and allow for Medicare for all.

Medicare for all will boost entrepreneurship, help the debilitating drug problem in the state, and allow granite staters the ability to live free and healthy lives.

Dear Honorable Chair and Members, I am a retired Family Doctor at the VA Hospital. At the VA I could take optimal care of all of my patients because I knew that their "insurance coverage" was excellent. If I wanted them to have a test or a medication, they got it. I didn't have to find out which insurance company they had or file a "prior authorization". My work was respected, and my patients were not hassled. Before working at the VA I practiced Family Medicine in Monroe, NH, up in the North Country. My low income farmers and loggers often couldn't afford care because they were self-employed and couldn't afford insurance. They prayed that they'd live to be 65 so they could get Medicare. Realistically, neither VA care nor Medicare coverage is ideal; they both have flaws. But both of them are fair and affordable. I believe that a system of Universal Health Insurance - some sort of National Health Program that covers everyone - would be ideal. Our current system, with 1600 different insurance companies/plans, each with its own rules - and many of them designed to bring phenomenal profits to the companies' shareholders and executives - is wasteful, and prone to abuse. Let's be brave enough and honest enough to say that Medicare works, the VA works, and that we can design a program for all Americans that works for all of us.

It is beyond time that we as a nation join the rest of the first-world countries by providing healthcare for all people in the country. Medicare for All is an excellent pathway to that goal. Democrats have been running on this for more than my whole adult life, but it's really a moderate position with support across the aisle in practice, albeit perhaps not in name. NH legislature should advocate for what the people want and urge our federal representation to push Medicare for all.

Everyone should have access to healthcare. When my wife (at the time girlfriend) was diagnosed with cancer she was too sick to work. Medicaid saved her life. So many people have their insurance tied to their jobs, which is not right in certain circumstances such as this one.

Healthcare is a human right. Having Medicaid when I was a child literally saved my life (cancer) and again as an adult. Please support this bill.

I want our legislators to know that the people of NH care about the health and well-being of our population. Medicare for all would benefit everyone. I am a mental health provider and I can say that Medicare is a wonderful program, it is easy to work with and very efficient.

Please join the rest of the world in offering your citizens Universal Healthcare. Doing so would be a model for the rest of our country.

Medicare for all is the only option forward. This system is so broken.bthe only people benefiting are the elite. NH does not take care of its residents healthcare and that need to be addressed immediately.

We need Medicare for All. Many people in NH can’t afford care even with insurance. Universal coverage would improve health outcomes and drive down costs.

I am a primary care physician in New Hampshire, and I am writing to express my support of this bill encouraging Medicare for All. All people deserve healthcare as a fundamental human right, and I have seen far too many patients lose access to essential healthcare due to inability to pay or lack of insurance coverage. Medicare for All would grant all Americans the opportunity to receive medical care. Beyond the humanitarian reasons for supporting this bill, Medicare for All has the potentially to be more financially sustainable. Having numerous private insurers adds costs via price inflation and middlemen without improving patient satisfaction or outcomes. The VA medical system, which is similar in structure to the proposed Medicare for All system, has been shown to have superior outcomes to the greater American healthcare system. It prioritizes equity and patient care within a reasonable financial structure. Shifting to Medicare for All would improve equity, health outcomes, and healthcare expenditures. Thank you for your consideration.

Healthcare is a human right.

My name is Danielle Van Dusen, I am a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCHMC) in the state of New Hampshire as well as a Licensed Alcohol and drug counselor (LADCI in Massachusetts. I am begging elected officials to take seriously the health needs of EVERY individual they serve. We all suffer from having access to life saving care being tied only to a person's employment. Meanwhile, our government spends more on this system that only seems to benefit the CEOs of Private Health Care corporations, that only exists to deny people essential care - currently we spend more on this than we would spend on Medicare for all. This is life or death.

Health care is important for all of us. The recent changes to federal subsidies make it clear that the existing process does not do enough to make health care affordable for all of us.

The United States is the only high-income nation without universal healthcare, a system shown in other countries to improve health outcomes, reduce financial hardship for families, and lower overall healthcare costs

In the reported "richest country in the world" the fact that we do not have a universal health care plan is just insanity. Please support this bill as it would help all people.

I support universal healthcare for ALL!

Our health care system is beyond broken. It's time for Medicare for all. Take the profit motive out of medical insurance - it doesn't work.

Universal healthcare can be wonderful for our country