Rhode Island
Sept. 2024
Written by J. Mark Ryan, MD, FACP, updated 2025 by B. Pearson, OPS
State-based SP organizations
RI Healthcare Access and Affordability Partnership (RIHAAP), https://www.rihealthcare.org/
Medicare For All project, Providence Democratic Socialists of America email contact: medicareforall@provdsa.org
National Organizations with strong SP campaign in the state:
PNHP https://pnhp.org/chapter/rhode-island/
State-based SP bills (https://www.rihealthcare.org/legislation) See also https://status.rilin.state.ri.us/
The “status.rilin.state…” lists dozens of Health Care bill, many of them progressive steps toward single-payer program and related reforms. The most relevant are listed below: (for details and our supporting research, see https://www.rihealthcare.org/legislation )
Summary: From the text of the SP bills: “This act would establish a universal, comprehensive, affordable single-payer health care insurance program and help control health care costs, which shall be referred to as, “the Rhode Island Comprehensive Health Insurance Program” (RICHIP). The program will be paid for by consolidating government and private payments to multiple insurance carriers into a more economical and efficient improved Medicare-for-all style single payer program and substituting lower progressive taxes for higher health insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles and costs due to caps.
This program will save Rhode Islanders from the current overly expensive, inefficient and unsustainable multi-payer health insurance system that unnecessarily prevents access to medically necessary healthcare.”
(H. 5465) & S. 346, An Act relating to health and safety–COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (proposing state single payer, expanded from previous versions.) Introduced Feb 2025 by Senators Bell, Ujifusa, Murray, Valverde, Lawson, DiMario, Mack, Euer, Quezada, Kallman and Reps Morales, Potter, Tanzi, Batista, Stewart, Cruz, Handy, Lombardi.
H. 5434 and Sen. resolution 56 asking for our federal delegation to protect patients and traditional medicare from Medicare Advantage. Introduced Jan 2025.
H. 5774 and S. 255, a bill proposing Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) – private health insurance companies running about 90% of RI Medicaid—be investigated and controlled or removed. Representatives Solomon, and Morales and Senators Ujifusa, Bell, Valverde, Miller, Quezada, DiMario, Murray, Mack, Gu, and Sosnowski
H. 5429 & S 117. A bill proposing that Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) be investigated and controlled/removed. (A senate hearing on the predecessor of this bill took place 3-23-22)
Several other bills proposed by these state legislators target the use of prior authorization in different contexts, AI in denial decisions, Mental Health parity, and more. [We consider the MCO and PBM bills to be “single payer bills” because they are attempting to remove private insurance companies from running big chunks of the health insurance system.] Most of the bills were “recommended [to] be held for further study,” but several passed one house or the other, and a few, more targeted health care reform bills were signed by the governor.
Summary: There is growing support for single payer when the goal is framed as removing/reining in private insurance company middlemen who are ripping off consumers and taxpayers.
Obstacles to SP in the current context
CVS (CVS-Aetna) is a major RI-based employer so there is massive corporate opposition. Also, a lot of people work in RI and live in MA, or live part-time in RI, so cross-border issues are complicated.
Advantages for SP in current context
It helps that multiple states have successfully pursued enforcement actions against Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), including CVS, and are passing anti-PBM legislation. The Nov. 2022 election of Senator Linda Ujifusa gives the state a strong new voice in the legislature–supporting Single Payer.
RI Attorney General Peter Nerohna is a strong ally. He has dealt aggressively with private equity efforts to dump the companies they bankrupted onto state responsibility. (For example, he required money in escrow before a questionable sale could be made, and now asks for pre-merger approval.) In May 2025, his office filed a lawsuit against the country’s three largest Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs): CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum. He is working proactively to combat corporate abuse (although
Goals for SP movement in RI 2025-2026
Ramping up efforts to undertake grassroots organizing and talk with different community groups to build our coalition.
Shorter-term initiatives
Trying to reach out to labor and faith communities through in-person events.
Trying to convince Federal members of Congress to become a co-sponsor of federal single payer legislation; (Currently no one in the delegation is a co-sponsor of H3069, although there have been some in the past. Nor are there any RI co-sponsors of the State-Based Universal Health Care Act H 4406 or S 2286
TWhere can people find news about Single Payer in your state and/or join a group?
https://www.facebook.com/rihealthcare and www.rihealthcare.org, or email pnhp.ri@gmail.com or call: 401-472-4721
Sign an open letter demanding support for Medicare for ALL https://pnhp.salsalabs.org/RIsignonletterSeptember2020/index.html