NH Renews is a coalition working to build a better New Hampshire for us all. Central to NH Renews’ policy platform are solutions to the climate crisis – and that includes creating good jobs with access to good health care. This is how the platform imagines a different future for our health care:
As New Hampshire continues to grapple with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of our residents are dying or going bankrupt due to lacking healthcare coverage. The United States remains the only major industrialized nation to not have a universal healthcare system and consequently, many New Hampshire residents are suffering from tremendous medical costs. In order to achieve universal health care for all New Hampshire residents, the first step we must take as a state is to implement a Jobs Guarantee Program.
A Job Guarantee Program will build hundreds of community health centers for thousands of New Hampshire residents who are either uninsured or underinsured. The number of people without healthcare coverage has increased during the pandemic due to the job losses. Since healthcare coverage is tied to employment, these community health centers will provide the crucial treatments for people who are unable to afford the expensive medical costs.
In addition to the community health centers, a Job Guarantee Program would also expand public education programs to train and certify healthcare workers. In order to service the thousands of sick patients across the state, we need more doctors and nurses. These programs will give healthcare workers the education and experience necessary to handle the patients and give the proper treatments.
A jobs program like this would not only bring medical relief to many New Hampshire residents, but also bring us one step closer to a universal health care system. As thousands of residents continue to die or go bankrupt without healthcare during this pandemic, the time is now for New Hampshire to lead the way in making healthcare a human right.
-Written by David Sanok
-Graphic art by Alexandra VanderClute
