Over the years, court cases have formed the backbone of social justice, enabling low-income and working poor people to enforce their rights to health care, public housing, food stamps, and other public benefits when states are not providing those benefits as the federal laws require. The holdings of these cases -- indeed, their very existence -- are not familiar to the vast majority of Americans; however, their importance cannot be overstated: The ability of private citizens to enforce their federal rights against states in court is absolutely essential if social justice is to have meaning in daily life. A legal right without a remedy in court becomes no right at all.
The National Health Law Program:
- Engages in litigation to protect individuals’ access to the courts and their ability to obtain health care services as the laws envision;
- Provides technical assistance, including consultation, legal analysis, and case dockets on the range of court access issues confronting health advocates;
- Files friend of the court briefs;
- Tracks cases and monitors how they are affecting access to the courts for beneficiaries of government-funded health programs; and·
- Works to maintains and strengthen alliances with other civil rights and advocacy organizations that are working on these issues.