Eastham ATM Adds Health Care Reform to Warrant

Click on image to watch the full short news report.

24 April 2026 — EASTHAM, MA — When Eastham gathers for its annual town meeting on May 4, voters will consider a citizen petition that may eventually impact the entire state.

Article 9A on Eastham’s 2026 warrant asks voters to support a non-binding resolution for Medicare for All in Massachusetts, otherwise known as Single Payer Health Care.

What is single payer health care?

Single Payer represents significant reform to the state’s health insurance structure. According to advocacy group Mass-Care, the proposed system would provide all Massachusetts residents with a publicly-financed health insurance plan with medical care free at the point of service. Premiums, co-pays and deductibles would be replaced by “fair, progressive taxation” to fund the new system.

“The Single Payer bill, you know, includes dental, hearing, vision, long-term care, which most insurance plans don’t cover,” said Brewster resident Madeline Zevon, a member of the Cape Cod Coalition for Universal Health Care.

The Cape Cod Coalition stands at the forefront of Single Payer advocacy on the Cape and is one of more than 110 organizations operating under the Mass-Care umbrella.

How does single payer differ from Medicare?

Notably, Medicare for All (Single Payer) is different from the Medicare system currently in use.

“Even for people on [existing] Medicare, [Medicare for All] would save them money from the 20% supplemental that they need and the cost of the drug plan,” said Bonnie Shepard of Wellfleet, another Cape Cod Coalition member.

“It’s partly because of the average age here on the Outer Cape, which skews higher, we all know people on Medicare who can’t afford their drug plan and are paying out of pocket.”

What is a non-binding petition?

To reiterate, the citizen petition on Eastham’s town meeting warrant is a non-binding petition, meaning it cannot compel any legislative action even if authorized locally. According to the state, a non-binding petition “asks voters to give non-binding instructions to their local state senator or representative.”

“It’s an expression of the will of the voters,” Shepard said.

Which other towns have endorsed the plan?

If Medicare for All passes in Eastham, a total of three towns will have approved a similar resolution at town meeting. Wellfleet was the first in 2024, followed by Brewster in 2025.

“What I realized is that the people understood the problem with health care and they want a change,” Zevon said, speaking on the near-unanimous show of support at Brewster’s 2025 Annual Town Meeting.

Regionally, Single Payer Health Care received support from the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates last fall, when they passed a resolution of their own. Moving forward, Shepard says the Cape Cod Coalition for Universal Health Care aims to garner local-level support in Barnstable, Falmouth and Orleans in the near future.

How does the plan save money?

According to Shepard, Single Payer advocacy revolves around two significant benefits: human rights and cost savings.

Mass-Care claims Medicare for All would eliminate wasteful administrative costs and profit associated with the current health care industry. The advocacy group says the system is capable of decreasing health care costs by over 30 percent and reducing overall health care spending in more than 98 percent of Massachusetts households.

How does it impact human rights?

Beyond cost savings, Shepard and Zevon both emphasized the critical importance of the human rights component.

“There’s a million reasons why people are not organized enough to get–to prove–that they deserve health care, when health care is a human right,” Shepard said. “Everybody deserves it, you know, without having to prove anything.”

“This is a matter of life and death,” Zevon said. “And I believe this is the right thing to do.”

Want more like this? Click here to get weekly update in your inbox.