MONTAGUE — Selectboard members heard a request for them to support single-payer health care legislation on Monday, with members ultimately agreeing to learn more about the legislation before making a motion.

Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution’s Ferd Wulkan joined other advocates in pitching the idea. In anticipation of an Oct. 26 Joint Committee on Health Care Financing hearing on the “Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts” (S.766/H.1267), the group sought in-favor testimony from the Selectboard.

A single-payer health care system would be rid of competing health insurance companies in favor of a single public or semi-public agency. Wulkan framed this as an effort to provide the public with balanced universal health care.

“It’s basically to really simplify our health insurance system to make it so that everybody is covered,” he said, “so that everybody’s insurance is at least as good as everybody else’s.”

Wulkan tried to assure the Selectboard of the idea’s benevolence by invoking the community’s pre-existing endorsement.

“It’s very, very popular,” he said. “In fact, the citizens of Montague voted a few years ago on a non-binding referendum, 2,684 (votes) to 776, in support of single-payer (health care).”

He also mentioned that both state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Sunderland, are co-sponsors of the bill.

“There’s a lot of reasons why this makes sense for the country, but here, we’re dealing with a piece of state legislation,” he said.

The presenters said single-payer health care would allow residents the right to pick their own doctors and hospitals without co-pays. They also argued the state would benefit financially, saving $11 billion and acquiring greater bargaining power with pharmaceutical companies. The only parties that would suffer, they said, would be insurance companies, for-profit hospitals and those ideologically opposed to universal health care.

Despite the intrigue, Selectboard members concluded it was too early to make any sort of decision, having just learned of the idea the week prior to their Monday meeting. They agreed on pursuing further discussion.

“It’s a complicated issue, there’s no doubt about it,” Selectboard Vice Chair Christopher Boutwell said.

“I’m not prepared to make any type of decision tonight,” Chair Richard Kuklewicz agreed. “You can always learn more, but I feel a little caught short of making a decision tonight without understanding all the different sides of it.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.