For a Health System based on Equity and Solidarity: Building a Movement for the Human Right to Health in the U.S.

People in the U.S. are denied their right to health and health care. We will explore ways to strengthen the rights-based movement against this injustice and for a health system based on equity and solidarity. We will discuss different human right to health campaigns led by grassroots organizations in rural and urban locations. These campaigns range from advocacy for single payer at state level, to local planning for universal access to care, to community initiatives addressing the underlying determinants of health, such as housing, food and education. While these struggles adopt diverse strategies and tactics, all use the human rights framework to critique the current system and promote systemic change. Human rights principles - such as treating health care as a public good, not a commodity - can bolster resistance against market-based ‘reforms’ and guide alternative approaches. Panelists will work with workshop participants in smaller groups on strategies to develop health rights campaigns in new locations, forge links between health rights activists across the country and grow the national movement for the human right to health. Our goal is to expand and strengthen networks and encourage movement-building among activists.