January 2011

Upcoming Actions for Farmworkers' Human Rights
January 21, 2011
NESRI partner the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and their Northeast allies are planning two major actions for the month of February.  First, in New York City, the weekend of February 4th - 6th, the month kicks off with a series of events hosted by the Northeast Encuentro (or gathering)... Keep reading »
Opposition to Budget Cuts Needs a Coherent Narrative. Human Rights Provides One
January 21, 2011
Is the current budget cutting frenzy at state and federal levels compatible with human rights obligations? It is not, concludes our analysis of the impact of budget cuts in Vermont, yet the new governor's proposals continue to neglect people's fundamental needs. Now we are joined by advocates in... Keep reading »
Public-Private Single Payer System Recommended for Vermont
January 19, 2011
Vermont should adopt a “public/private single-payer system,” recommends Harvard expert Dr. William Hsiao, hired by the state to develop implementation plans for a new universal health care system. Such a system would, in Hsiao’s words “set in place a policy that controls the... Keep reading »
New Mexico Senator to Introduce Human Right to Health Care Amendment to State Constitution
January 19, 2011
Supported by New Mexico health equity advocates under the umbrella of HealthRightNM, State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino will introduce a constitutional amendment to recognize health care as a human right during the 2011 session of the New Mexico legislature. This is the proposed text of the amendment... Keep reading »
Universal Health Care Designs Introduced in Vermont
January 19, 2011
Dr. Hsiao, Harvard expert hired by Vermont, has proposed three universal health care models for Vermont. In his draft report  released at the Statehouse today, January 19, 2011, Hsiao presents detailed implementation plans for a human rights-based health care system. All designs must meet the... Keep reading »
New Federal Legislation Introduced for State Health System Waivers in 2014
January 18, 2011
The Vermont Congressional Delegation today announced that it will introduce federal legislation, the ‘‘State Leadership in Health Care Act,’’ to enable states to start fully public, universal health care systems, e.g. single payer plans, by 2014. From a fact sheet on the... Keep reading »
Honor Dr. King's Legacy: Fight for Healthcare For All
January 14, 2011
In a statement released on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mark Dudzic, the National Coordinator of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare, challenges us to honor Dr. King's Legacy by carrying on his struggle for economic justice.  In his statement Dudzic draws attention to... Keep reading »
Attacks on International Law on the Rise: A Response by Martha Davis and Johanna Kalb
January 13, 2011
Political and legal attacks on the use of international law, which includes human rights standards, continue to increase.  Oklahoma recently passed a measure prohibiting judges from referring to either international or Sharia law.  NESRI Board Chair, Professor Martha Davis, along with... Keep reading »
Robert Reich: How The Republican Assault On Health Care Could Backfire On Them
January 7, 2011
When it comes to health care, Republicans should be careful what they wish for. Their upcoming vote to repeal the health-care law will be largely symbolic — they don’t have the votes to override President Obama’s certain veto. The real thing happens later, when they try to strip... Keep reading »
Death by Budget Cut: Fatal Consequences of Medicaid Cuts
January 6, 2011
Medicaid budget cuts in a number of states present drastic examples of how people’s right to health care is violated in a system that makes access to care dependent on a person’s income. The state of Arizona has implemented some of the most extreme cuts, denying organ transplants to... Keep reading »
Vermonters Converge on Statehouse to Demand Universal Healthcare
January 6, 2011
Montpelier, VT-- Over three hundred Vermonters converged at the Statehouse on January 5th to deliver more than four thousand petition signatures to lawmakers Shap Smith, John Campbell, Claire Ayer and Mark Larson. The petition demands that Vermont leads the nation in the adoption of universal... Keep reading »
Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants: A View from Europe
January 5, 2011
The United States excludes many people from access to health care, most explicitly undocumented people. With regard to this most disadvantaged group, European countries - despite their formal commitment to the human right to health care - fail to do much better, as documented in a new compilation... Keep reading »
It's Time for a People's Movement
January 2, 2011
On January 2, 2011, the Burlington Free Press published an op-ed by James Haslam, director of the Vermont Workers' Center: "What happens when ordinary people aren't organized? When you have a system designed to benefit the rich and powerful few above all else -- no matter what the cost? That's... Keep reading »
Editorial Recognizes Crucial Role of Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign
January 2, 2011
Below are excerpts from an editorial in the Rutland Herald and Times Argus: An Early Test As Peter Shumlin prepares to take office this week, a sampling of the challenges facing him will already have gathered at the Statehouse in Montpelier. The Health Care Is a Human Right campaign is planning to... Keep reading »