| |
Confronting the
Crisis in Health Care
in 2009-10
For earlier posts on
health-care concerns >> |
Stand Up for Health Care!
[6-24-11] This Action Alert, dated June
22, 2011, comes to us from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office
of Public Witness
Everyone deserves access to quality, affordable
health care. For over 50 years, Medicare and Medicaid have provided
coverage for millions of elderly, poor, and disabled persons in our
country. Today, nearly 1 in 3 Americans depends on these public
health insurance programs to meet their basic health needs.
In the current debate over the federal budget, some
members of Congress have proposed making drastic cuts to both
Medicare and Medicaid. If successful, these cuts would result in
both decreases in enrollment and reductions in coverage. Millions of
Americans would not receive the health services they desperately
need.
Recognizing the importance of these programs for
our country’s well-being, we cannot afford to let Congress cut
health care for vulnerable populations.
Click here to contact your members of Congress today and tell them
not to cut Medicare and Medicaid!
As Reformed
Christians, we believe that God desires shalom – wholeness and
healing – for every person, not just for those who can afford it.
Jesus’ command to love our neighbor requires persons with plentiful
resources both to comprehend the condition of those persons without
basic health care and to share the means to health.
This summer, as
Congress debates various budget proposals, the Office of Public
Witness urges you to
contact your members of Congress and urge them not to cut
Medicare and Medicaid. Cuts to these programs would only shift
financial costs to older adults and poor people who depend on these
programs for their survival.
General Assembly Guidance:
The 214th (2002)
General Assembly directed the Presbyterian Washington Office (PWO)
to encourage members of the Congress to recognize the importance of
universal health care – that is, equal, accessible, affordable, and
high-quality health care for all persons residing in our nation.
The 217th (2006)
General Assembly approved actions to call on the president and
Congress to provide adequate funding for the preservation of the
Medicare and Medicaid programs as the health-care safety-net
programs for elderly, poor, and disabled populations. |
More Malarkey About Health Care The
legislative debate is over, but the false and exaggerated claims
just keep on coming. [4-19-10]
Summary of a longer report from
Factcheck.org
We’ve seldom seen a piece of legislation so
widely misrepresented, and misunderstood, as the new health care
law. We stopped counting the number of articles and items we
turned out on the subject after the total reached 100.
Some of that is understandable. The debate
went on for more than a year, while the different House and
Senate bills changed their shape constantly. The final law was
the product of an awkward two-step legislative dance that first
enacted the Senate’s version, then quickly amended it with a
reconciliation "fix." No wonder people are confused.
And even now the misrepresentations continue.
The new law is no longer a moving target, but some opponents
persist in making false or exaggerated claims about it. Our
inboxes are filled with messages asking about assertions that
the new law:
* Requires patients to be implanted with
microchips. (No, it doesn’t.)
* Cuts benefits for military families and
retirees. (No. The TRICARE program isn’t affected.)
* Exempts Muslims from the requirement to
obtain coverage. (Not specifically. It does have a religious
exemption, but that is intended for Old Order Amish.)
* Allows insurance companies to continue
denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions.
(Insurance companies have agreed not to exploit a loophole that
might have allowed this.)
* Will require 16,500 armed IRS agents to
enforce. (No. Criminal penalties are waived.)
* Gives President Obama a Nazi-like "private
army." (No. It provides a reserve corps of doctors and other
health workers for emergencies.)
* "Exempts" House and Senate members. (No.
Their coverage may not be as good as before, in fact.)
* Covers erectile-dysfunction drugs for sex
offenders. (Just as it was before the new law, those no longer
in jail can buy any insurance plan they choose.)
* Provides federal funding for abortions. (Not
directly. But neither side in the abortion debate is happy with
the law.)
For details on these claims about the new law,
please read our Analysis section.
For desktop Users >>
For mobile Users >> |
What Did John Witherspoon Mean by
"Property"? Would
he defend property rights against health care reform?
[4-17-10]
With all the discussion these days (or maybe “ranting
and raving” would be more appropriate) about individual property rights
standing against the authority of government to limit them for the
common welfare (as in requiring some people to obtain health insurance,
for instance) Gene TeSelle reminds us of John Witherspoon’s famous
statement in 1776 that if people give up their right to “property,” they
will “at the same time deliver the conscience to bondage.” It sounds
like a great argument for the Tea Party folks, but TeSelle shows that
Witherspoon’s intention was quite different.
|
Thousands of faith leaders send
letter, run full-page ad for health reform
PC(USA) stated clerk,
Washington Office join summit-eve appeal
by
Jerry L. Van Marter,
Presbyterian News Service
[2-24-10]
WASHINGTON — On the
eve of the Bi-Partisan Health Care Summit in Washington, D.C.,
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk
Gradye Parsons and the Presbyterian Washington Office have
joined thousands of faith community leaders and organizations
urging the Obama administration and Congress to “complete the
task at hand on behalf of the millions who are left out and left
behind in our current health care system.”
In addition to the Feb. 24 letter to
the President and Congress — under the umbrella groups
Faithful Reform in Health Care and the Washington
Interreligious Staff Community — the religious leaders are
running a full-page
print advertisement in The Hill and an additional
online ad at
The Hill's Web site, showcasing the letter and its signers.
The letter concludes: “As people of
faith, we envision a society where every person is afforded
health, wholeness and human dignity. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
famously wrote in his ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ that
‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’ Less well known is
his admonition that ‘of all the forms of inequality, injustice
in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.’ Let us not
delay health care justice any longer. This is your moment for
political courage, vision, leadership and faith. We urge you to
take heart and move meaningful health care reform forward.”
The letter was signed by more than
4,000 people of faith, 58 national religious organizations, more
than 80 regional and state faith organizations, and 26 national
faith leaders.
The
full text of the Feb. 24 letter:
Dear Mr. President and Members of
Congress:
We are communities of faith who
have supported comprehensive health care reform for decades.
We have also offered vocal
support — and occasional constructive criticism — of the health
care reform effort over the last year. We write to you at this
critical juncture to urge you to complete the task at hand on
behalf of the millions who are left out and left behind in our
current health care system.
Opportunities to comprehensively
address our broken health care system are rare. Decades of
failed attempts at reform testify to the difficulty of this
task, and we know that the current effort has not been easy.
However, we now stand closer than ever before to historic health
care reform.
Turning back now could mean
justice delayed for another generation and an unprecedented
opportunity lost.
We know that no comprehensive
health care reform bill will be perfect. (Indeed, if any piece
of legislation ever fulfills our full vision, our vision is far
too small.) However, we also know — as providers and consumers
of services and care — that inaction at this critical moment is
no way forward:
 | Without reform, tens of thousands
will continue to die needlessly each year for lack of access
to care. |
 | Without reform, tens of millions will remain
uninsured and without adequate access to a full range of
services. |
 | Without reform, health costs will continue to grow
much faster than wages. |
 | Without reform, many millions of hard-working people
and their children will join the ranks of the uninsured and
underinsured. |
 | Without reform, businesses, staggered by increasing
employee health costs, will either drop coverage or will be
unable to make needed investments. |
 | Without reform, the nation’s economy – and its
ability to create jobs – will suffer. |
As people of faith, we envision a
society where every person is afforded health, wholeness and
human dignity. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously wrote in his
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” that “justice too long delayed is
justice denied.” Less well known is his admonition that “of all
the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most
shocking and inhumane.”
Let us not delay health care
justice any longer. This is your moment for political courage,
vision, leadership and faith. We urge you to take heart and move
meaningful health care reform forward.
http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2010/10173.htm |
See the horrors of
Britain’s “socialized medicine” through the experience of two
American Presbyterian pastors in Glasgow
The Revs. John Mann and Lindsay Biddle have
both been serving Church of Scotland parishes in Glasgow.
Part of their Christmas letter reports their modest (and
comforting!) experience of Scotland’s health care system.
[12-28-09]
British people are used to standing in line.
They queue up for almost everything, particularly at one o’clock
in the afternoon, when whole communities of schoolchildren and
working adults stop what they’re doing and go wait in single
file outside the local fish-and-chip shop, sandwich bar, or
bakery counter to purchase some chips (French fries), a
tuna-and-sweetcorn sandwich (just that – tuna and corn), or some
kind of meat pie. About every week Lindsay gets in line at the
neighborhood Italian deli to buy delicacies like Kentucky ham
(from Holland). And for this letter’s stamp she stood in line at
the post office, along with folks waiting to pay bills, exchange
currency, or get their annual car tax disc (a round decal
displayed in the car window; ours cost £145 ($240), and it
requires a clean bill of health from a mechanic which can cost
anything depending on the repairs. By the way, gasoline is
currently £1 per liter ($6.25 per gallon)).
One thing we don’t have to wait in line for is
to see a doctor. When we moved to Glasgow six years ago, we both
went to the local ‘surgery’ where we were each examined and
registered by a General Practitioner. Whenever we need medical
attention, that’s who we call, and if we call in the morning
we’re scheduled to go to the doctor’s office that day. If we
call in the afternoon, we’ll get an appointment for the next day
because the doctor is out making house calls in the afternoon.
When we arrive at the Westfield Health Centre, we give our name
to the receptionist and at the appointed time Dr. Hardie comes
out to the waiting area and calls us into his office where he
deals with whatever ails us. So far we’ve only had to go for
check-ups and bad colds. But apart from the ease of treatment,
the amazing thing to us is that we don’t have to bring our
checkbook or credit card.
That’s because we pay National Insurance for
national healthcare – socialized medicine, a communist plot,
call it what you like. £237 ($390) is deducted each month from
John’s paycheck, less than 10% of his gross pay, and it is
matched by the Church of Scotland. Lindsay’s is only 6% of her
part-time paycheck, less than £45 ($75) a month. This provides
all our dental care, eye exams, and medical care, including
hospitalization which John needed when he suffered kidney
stones. We do pay £6 ($10) for each prescription, and we choose
to get annual flu shots which we pay for. (Swine flu shots will
be available soon, free-of-charge.) But that’s it. No medical
bills, no insurance forms, no co-pays.
Rev. Lindsay Louise Biddle (PCUSA)
Rev. Dr. John W. Mann (Church of Scotland)
Glasgow
lindsaybiddle@hotmail.com
Scary, huh??
If you have comments on these
observations,
or on the health care issue in general,
please send a note, to be shared here. |
UCC ARGUES FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM
[12-28-09] Last
September the United Church of Christ launched
a
major advocacy campaign to gather 100,000 messages to
Congress, in support of health care reform.
Some of the major
points in their message are worth repeating as the debate
continues:
Our faith teaches
us that health care is not only a basic human right – but a
human need. Offering comfort to the broken, sick and injured was
foundational to Jesus’ ministry and is central to our serving
the least among us.
The United Church
of Christ has a long history of providing care through health
and human service ministries, parish nursing programs, and
health care plans for clergy and church workers. Hundreds of
caring medical institutions were founded and supported by – and
are related to – the UCC.
As an extension
of our longstanding commitment to healing ministries, we believe
it is a moral imperative to transform health care so that it is
inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable. Just
consider:
• Over 47
million people (one in six) and over 9 million children are
without health coverage and 25 million more are under-insured.
• Every
year, 18,000 people in the United States die from a lack of
health insurance. That’s two people every hour.
• More than
60 percent of all bankruptcies are linked to medical expenses.
About 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure every
year due to unaffordable medical costs.
United Church of
Christ
The Rev. John H.
Thomas, General Minister and President
The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, General Minister and President-Elect
From “Everything is Connected,” a regular e-mail newsletter by
John Jackson. |
Reflections on the incivility of the health care reform
debate by Bill Peach
[12-28-09]
Comity and Collegiality
I heard a story on television about two
elderly Senators leaving the Senate Chambers, helping each other
through doors and up and down stairs. The two were Jesse Helms
(R-NC), five terms from 1973 to 2003, and his arch-rival
Claiborne Pell (D-RI), six terms from 1961 to 1997. The story
was told to illustrate the mood of the Senate in former times.
Whether it is fact or fiction, history would have us believe
that in spite of the vicious oratory on the Senate floor, the
senators had great respect for each other.
I spent too many hours watching the Health
Care Reform Act debate on C-SPAN. One senator cited examples of
the treachery of Judas Iscariot and the beating of Rodney King
to portray the character of fellow senators. Another senator
suggested that the nation should pray that the Democrats would
not all be present for the early morning vote. Some believed
there was a subtle inference to Senator Byrd and the hazards of
the blizzard and icy streets.
We look to the Senate for greatness in “acts
of statesmanship transcending party and State lines.” The House
of Representatives is composed of men and women who are elected
by friends and neighbors in several counties to be their voice
in Washington. The Senate in contrast gave us the likes of
Webster, Calhoun, and Clay. Senators bring to the floor,”
leadership in national thought and constitutional interpretation
as well as legislation.”
The rest of this essay >>
The author: Bill
Peach lives in Franklin, Tennessee, where he has been in the
men’s clothing business for most of his working life. But he
also describes himself as a politician, preacher, and
philosopher, who received his Bachelor’s degree at the age
of 51. He has authored a number of books, including
Politics, Preaching & Philosophy, published in 2009 by
Westview, Inc.
|
A Puritan's advice ... on health care reform
[12-19-09] Hear these wise words, and
challenging, written by the Puritan, Gov. John Winthrop, in his
sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity,” said to have been
addressed to the ship-load of fellow Puritans in the “Arbella”
on their way across the Atlantic Ocean to settle the
Massachusetts Bay Colony:
We must delight in each other; make
others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn
together, labor and suffer together, always having before
our eyes our commission and community in the work, as
members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the
spirit in the bond of peace.
What have our conservative friends done to the
American Christian heritage? And when will progressives claim
their authentic heritage?
For the full text of Winthrop's sermon >> |
Scared turtles
By Berry Craig
[12-14-09]
It is the great unmentionable in the health
care debate.
It is an attitude apparently shared by many
voters. The Democrats keep quiet about it because they don’t
want to make voters mad.
The same attitude is helping the Republicans
thwart reform. But they won't acknowledge it publicly for fear
of looking bad.
B. Smith isn't scared to talk about it on his
Internet blogsite,
Radical Love. It is greed and selfishness, which he says are
"hateful" aspects "of humanity that this debate has brought out"
in much of the body politic.
Smith identifies himself as a Methodist pastor
from Pulaski, Tenn. He doesn't pull punches.
Smith says, flat out, that some folks oppose
reform because they think it will diminish the quality of their
health care in favor of “undeserving” poor people and
immigrants. “It is in times of economic downturn when people
recede into their shells like a scared turtle and refuse to help
anyone but themselves and their immediate families,” the parson
added.
This union-card carrying Hubert Humphrey
Democrat and Bluegrass State Presbyterian will add an “amen” to
Rev. Smith’s cyber-sermonette.
Tennessee and my native Kentucky are two of
the church-goingest states in the church-goingest nation in
Christendom. But when it comes to backing government help for
people who need help – people without health insurance, for
instance – a lot of Tennesseans, Kentuckians and other Americans
have never been all that big on the biblical brother’s keeper
thing.
Per capita, the U.S. trails all of its NATO
allies in social welfare spending, according to the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development.
We’re the only NATO country without some form
of comprehensive national health insurance. Whatever health
reform Congress approves – if anything – will be small potatoes
compared to government health care programs in other countries.
True, Americans are bigger on charitable
giving than anybody else. But most of the money they donate goes
to their churches and to educational institutions, including
their alma maters, not to charities that directly aid the poor.
Anyway, many Americans probably would agree
with a Georgia woman who told the Associated Press why she’s not
a fan of government health care. "Well, for one, I know nobody
wants to pay taxes for anybody else to go to the doctor – I
don't,” she was quoted in an AP wire story about an AP health
care poll. “I don't want to pay for somebody to use my money
that I could be using for myself."
The story said the woman is 20. I wonder if
she has grandparents on Medicare.
No matter, Republicans love people like the
Georgian. Though they might not be so candid with a reporter,
more than a few Americans agree with her.
Democrats are hesitant to call them out for
their I've-got-mine-and-to-heck-with-you outlook. Republicans
welcome them as allies in their holy war against health care
form.
The Republicans are battling reform with their
stock “government isn’t the solution, it’s the problem” con job.
It’s Social Darwinism, straight from the Gilded Age: If you’re
poor (and don’t have health insurance), it’s your fault and not
my responsibility.
Governments in other Western democracies
believe good health care is a fundamental human right, not a
privilege for those who can afford it. Some of us stateside do,
too. (Go ahead and call us “socialists.”)
I’m blessed. I have a steady job and good
health insurance. But growing up Presbyterian, I learned we were
supposed to be our brothers’ – and sisters’ – keepers. The same
principle guides our union movement.
So count me in with my union brothers and
sisters who support a single-payer health care system that
covers all Americans. And I'm somebody who wouldn't mind Uncle
Sam raising my taxes to help pay for it.
Berry Craig is a
professor of history at the West Kentucky Community and
Technical College in Paducah. He and his wife, Melinda, are
members of the Witherspoon Society.
|
Three more looks at
health care reform
[12-12-09]You may have been hearing and
reading more than you want about the tortuous process of
cobbling together some kind of reform of the U.S. health care
system. But the issue is important enough to merit all the
information and wisdom we can muster. Here are three recent
articles that offer three different perspectives:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No master plan, but lots of support for
innovations that may help greatly over time
Atul Gawande is a surgeon at Brigham and
Women’s Hospital in Boston, and an associate professor at
Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.
His new book, The Checklist Manifesto, will be published
in January.
In
a New Yorker article, he argues that the mammoth
bills, which Republicans have complained about so loudly,
contain a wide assortment of small pilot projects to be
supported over the next few years. This is just the approach
that reformed U.S. agriculture in the early 20th
century, raising productivity so sharply that American families,
which had spent more than 40% of their income for food in 1900,
spent just 24% for food in 1930. The change came through many
small, local projects to improve farming through new cultivation
techniques, use of fertilizer and pesticides and new seeds, and
much more.
And it was government programs – and
government people (bureaucrats!!) such as extension agents –
that made those changes possible.
His closing paragraph sums it up:
Getting our medical communities, town by
town, to improve care and control costs isn’t a task that
we’ve asked government to take on before. But we have no
choice. At this point, we can’t afford any illusions: the
system won’t fix itself, and there’s no piece of legislation
that will have all the answers, either. The task will
require dedicated and talented people in government agencies
and in communities who recognize that the country’s future
depends on their sidestepping the ideological battles,
encouraging local change, and following the results. But if
we’re willing to accept an arduous, messy, and continuous
process we can come to grips with a problem even of this
immensity. We’ve done it before.
The full article >>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Health Care Reform: Sifting Through the
Suboptimal Solutions
Arianna Huffington, of HuffingtonPost, opens
her critique of the current proposals:
If the fight over health care reform has
proven anything, it's just how broken our system has become
– from the crippling influence of money on our politics to
the way the modern misuse of the filibuster has taken away
the power of the duly elected majority and handed it to a
handful of bought-and-paid-for senators (yes, I'm talking
about you Joe Lieberman).
This disturbing and destructive state of
affairs has created a country that is, in the words of Tom
Friedman, "only able to produce 'suboptimal' responses to
its biggest problems."
And that's where we find ourselves on
health care as we head towards the legislative end game. The
big optimal solutions have all been gutted – and we are left
to pick through the patchwork of suboptimal ones.
She then finds a few points still worth
supporting, including:
• the proposed expansion of Medicare
to cover those 55 to 64 years old;
• expansion of access to insurance to a
percentage, at least, of the 46 million uninsured Americans;
• some way of providing choice for those
seeking insurance coverage, perhaps through Sen. Ron Wyden's
Free Choice Act, which would give employees the ability to
choose their own insurance plans within the insurance exchange,
instead of having to accept the plan chosen by their employer.
She concludes:
If the final bill contains all these
elements, it will be a suboptimal solution worth supporting.
Then we can move on to the business of fixing our broken
system, so we can get back to being a country able to
produce optimal responses to our biggest problems.
Her full article >>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How a Few Private Health Insurers Are on the
Way to Controlling Health Care
Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor and
Professor at U.C. Berkeley, takes a much bleaker view of the
prospects of any real reform, because private health insurers
will continue to consolidate their control of the health care
market.
His concluding paragraph sums it up:
From the start, opponents of the public
option have wanted to portray it as big government preying
upon the market, and private insurers as the embodiment of
the market. But it's just the reverse. Private insurers are
exempt from competition. As a result, they are becoming ever
more powerful. And it's not just their economic power that's
worrying. It's also their political power, as we've learned
over the last ten months. Economic and political power is a
potent combination. Without some mechanism forcing private
insurers to compete, we're going to end up with a national
health care system that's controlled by a handful of very
large corporations accountable neither to American voters
nor to the market.
For his complete, brief article >> |
Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) Calls for Just Health Care Reform
Questions and Answers
[11-23-09]
This very helpful statement
was posted recently by the Washington Office of the Presbyterian
Church (USA), at
http://www.pcusa.org/washington/healthpolicy.htm
It is also in PDF format at
http://www.pcusa.org/washington/health-policy-qanda.pdf
What does the PC(USA) support?
• For
over 60 years, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assemblies
have been calling for reform of the U.S. health system, urging
the establishment of a national medical plan that will ensure
health coverage for all persons residing in the United States.
• The
most recent General Assembly (2008) “endorse[d] in principle the
provision of single-payer universal health care reform in which
health care services are privately provided and publicly
financed… as the program that best responds to the moral
imperative of the gospel.” [Minutes, 2008, p. 1133]
• Any
reform plan should be guided by these values:
o
Universal
Accessibility: We believe that all people possess
inherent worth as children of God, and that God’s promise
extends to all. Health coverage must be available to all persons
living in the United States, regardless of income, race or
ethnicity, geography, age, gender, employment status or health
status [Minutes, 1994, p. 574; Minutes, 2002, p.
634]
o
Equity: Because
the right to acquire adequate health care springs out of our
worth as living human beings, rather than out of any particular
merit or achievement belonging to some but not to others,
adequate health care should be defined equally for all people. [Minutes,
1976, pp. 203-207]
o
Responsible Financing: Since society has an interest in
the health of its people, those individuals and organizations
who can pay should help to finance the care for those
individuals and families who cannot pay [Minutes, 1991,
p. 817]. While concerns for the costs of health care are
appropriate, these concerns must continually be balanced against
the objectives of access to adequate, quality care for all. The
sacrifice of access and quality at the shrine of cost
containment is too high a price to pay and should not be
tolerated [Minutes, 1988, p. 525].
Does the church support socialized medicine?
No, the church
supports health reform that is privately provided and publically
funded. Socialized medicine generally refers to health care
systems that are run by government, in which medical facilities
are owned by government and health care providers are employed
by government. PC(USA) General Assemblies have not commented on
such a system, nor is the U.S. Congress considering such a
proposal.
Why does the church support single-payer?
The
single-payer health coverage envisioned by the 218th General
Assembly is a system in which health insurance is publically
financed, while medical care is provided by private
practitioners. One example of a single-payer health care system
would be a “Medicare for all” approach, though single-payer
requires only that financing come from a single source, rather
than the multiple sources that currently provide U.S. health
coverage (employers, government, individuals, etc.). The 218th
General Assembly (2008) adopted an overture supporting the
principle of single-payer health care. The overture outlined the
serious crisis in the U.S. health system, highlighting the
rapidly swelling ranks of the uninsured, the increasing
occurrence of medically-caused bankruptcies, and efficiency of
government-run Medicare and Medicaid programs, when compared to
private insurance companies.
On what authority is the church speaking on this issue?
In keeping with
our polity, public witness by the National Offices on the topic
of health care reform is based entirely on General Assembly
policy. The Stated Clerk’s recent statement (Aug. 2009), which
can be viewed at
http://www.pcusa.org/oga/newsstories/clerk-healthcare_aug09.htm
, draws almost exclusively on the Rationale of the 218th
General Assembly (2008) overture on single-payer health reform,
the entirety of which can be found at
http://www.pc-biz.org/Explorer.aspx?id=1833
.
What is the role of government and why should it be involved?
The 1988
General Assembly summarized John Calvin’s explanation: “civil
government is ordained by God to order and serve the human
community and therefore to be held in respect and honor. Service
in the public order is the highest vocation for Christians. The
civil state by its own definition and tradition is to serve the
causes of justice, the common well being. We believe that the
church must not only call upon the political order to serve the
causes of justice but actively participate in efforts to shape
public policies and institutions so that they serve human needs
effectively and equitably.” (Minutes, 1988, p. 47)
Why does the church care?
Presbyterians
believe that God desires shalom – wholeness and healing
–for every person, not just for those who can afford it. Health
is much more than the absence of a physical or mental malady or
the pursuit of physical or mental perfection. Jesus’ command to
love our neighbor requires persons with plentiful resources both
to comprehend the condition of those persons without basic
health care and to share the means to health. [Minutes,
1999, pp. 341-342]
What is the PC(USA) doing now?
The PC(USA),
through its Washington Office, is engaged in public witness at
the federal level. On health care, the Washington Office is
following closely the legislative process and evaluating health
reform proposals in light of General Assembly social witness
policy statements.
Further, the
Washington Office is engaged with ecumenical and interfaith
partners to lift up the voices of people of faith. Through
Washington Office organizing and publications, Presbyterians are
invited to get involved in the public policy process.
The ministry of
the Washington Office is to communicate General Assembly policy
to decision-makers and to provide resources to Presbyterians, so
that they might be engaged in public debate and witness.
How do I get in touch with the Washington Office?
You can reach
the Washington Office by calling (202) 543-1126 or by emailing
ga_washington_office@pcusa.org.
|
Religious leaders condemn Stupak amendment to health care
reform bill [11-10-09]
Joint Statement of Religious Leaders on Stupak Amendment
Catholics for Choice, the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America Clergy Network, the Religious Coalition on
Reproductive Choice, and the Religious Institute on Sexual
Morality, Justice, and Healing represent more than ten thousand
religious leaders and tens of thousands of people of faith who
believe that abortion must be safe, legal, and accessible. We
come together to condemn the passage of the Stupak amendment,
which if passed by the Senate will effectively deny coverage for
abortion services to women covered by the new federal health
care plan. We are appalled that religious leaders intervened to
impose their specific religious doctrine into health care
reform, not recognizing that women must have the right to apply
or reject the principles of their own faith in making the
decision as to whether or not abortion is appropriate in their
specific circumstances. Further, we decry those who sought to
use abortion as a way to scuttle much needed health care reform.
We call on the President and the United States Senate to ensure
that the final bill that passes does not include any specific
prohibition on the use of federal funds for reproductive health
care services. We pray for a renewed commitment to relational
and reproductive justice for all.
Signed:
The Rev. Dr. Ignacio Castuera
National Chaplain
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Jon O'Brien
President
Catholics for Choice
The Reverend Debra W. Haffner
Executive Director
Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing
The Reverend Carlton W. Veazey
President
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice |
Two dissents (from the Left!) from the House-passed health
care bill [11-9-09]
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio),
after voting against H.R. 3962, issued a sharp statement of his
reasons for voting against the bill. He begins:
We have been led to believe that we must
make our health care choices only within the current
structure of a predatory, for-profit insurance system which
makes money not providing health care. We cannot fault the
insurance companies for being what they are. But we can
fault legislation in which the government incentivizes the
perpetuation, indeed the strengthening, of the for-profit
health insurance industry, the very source of the problem.
When health insurance companies deny care or raise premiums,
co-pays and deductibles they are simply trying to make a
profit. That is our system.
Clearly, the insurance companies are the
problem, not the solution. They are driving up the cost of
health care. Because their massive bureaucracy avoids paying
bills so effectively, they force hospitals and doctors to
hire their own bureaucracy to fight the insurance companies
to avoid getting stuck with an unfair share of the bills.
The result is that since 1970, the number of physicians has
increased by less than 200% while the number of
administrators has increased by 3000%. It is no wonder that
31 cents of every health care dollar goes to administrative
costs, not toward providing care. Even those with insurance
are at risk. The single biggest cause of bankruptcies in the
U.S. is health insurance policies that do not cover you when
you get sick.
But instead of working toward the
elimination of for-profit insurance, H.R. 3962 would put the
government in the role of accelerating the privatization of
health care. ...
The rest of his statement >>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marcia Angell, M.D., a physician,
author, and Senior Lecturer at Harvard Medical School, asks “Is
the House Health Care Bill Better than Nothing?”
Her answer, in short, is No. She explains:
Conservative rhetoric notwithstanding, the
House bill is not a "government takeover." I wish it were.
Instead, it enshrines and subsidizes the "takeover" by the
investor-owned insurance industry that occurred after the
failure of the Clinton reform effort in 1994. To be sure,
the bill has a few good provisions (expansion of Medicaid,
for example), but they are marginal. It also provides for
some regulation of the industry (no denial of coverage
because of pre-existing conditions, for example), but since
it doesn't regulate premiums, the industry can respond to
any regulation that threatens its profits by simply raising
its rates. The bill also does very little to curb the
perverse incentives that lead doctors to over-treat the
well-insured. And quite apart from its content, the bill is
so complicated and convoluted that it would take a
staggering apparatus to administer it and try to enforce its
regulations.
What does the insurance industry get out
of it? Tens of millions of new customers, courtesy of the
mandate and taxpayer subsidies. And not just any kind of
customer, but the youngest, healthiest customers – those
least likely to use their insurance. The bill permits
insurers to charge twice as much for older people as for
younger ones. So older under-65's will be more likely to go
without insurance, even if they have to pay fines. That's OK
with the industry, since these would be among their sickest
customers. (Shouldn't age be considered a pre-existing
condition?)
The rest of her essay >> |
Progressive People of Faith Call for Health
Reform
[11-5-09]

Communities of faith have been essential
to the movement for health care reform. Faith groups have
provided
dramatic stories that illustrate the human pain and
suffering that result from inadequate health care or lack of
it. They have run clinics in poor and underserved
neighborhoods, and they have cut through complex economic
arguments to frame the moral heart of the matter.
Learn more about
how mainline denominations, Jewish organizations,
Muslim-American organizations and others have been working
on behalf of health care reform.
|
From the
Presbyterian Washington Office: Support Health
Care Reform - Contact Congress Today
Urge House Members to Support Health Care Reform
[11-4-09]
Take Action!
H.R. 3962 - "The
Affordable Health Care for America Act"
For over 60
years, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assemblies have
called for reform of the U.S. health system, urging the
establishment of a national medical plan that will ensure health
coverage for all persons residing in the United States.
The most recent
General Assembly (2008) "endorse[d] in principle the provision
of single-payer universal health care reform in which health
care services are privately provided and publicly financed... as
the program that best responds to the moral imperative of the
gospel." [Minutes, 2008, p. 1133]
The U.S. House of
Representatives is winding up its health care deliberations.
"The Affordable Health Care for America Act" [H.R. 3962] blends
and updates the three versions of previous bills passed this
summer by the House Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce; and
Education and Labor Committees.
The
House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 3962 on
Saturday, November 7th.
The Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) believes that any reform plan should be guided
by these values:
• Universal
Accessibility: We believe that all people possess
inherent worth as children of God, and that God's promise
extends to all. Health coverage must be available to all persons
living in the United States, regardless of income, race or
ethnicity, geography, age, gender, employment status or health
status [Minutes, 1994, p. 574; Minutes, 2002, p.
634]
• Equity:
Because the right to acquire adequate health care springs out of
our worth as living human beings, rather than out of any
particular merit or achievement belonging to some but not to
others, adequate health care should be defined equally for all
people. [Minutes, 1976, pp. 203-207]
• Responsible
Financing: Since society has an interest in the health of
its people, those individuals and organizations who can pay
should help to finance the care for those individuals and
families who cannot pay [Minutes, 1991, p. 817]. While concerns
for the costs of health care are appropriate, these concerns
must continually be balanced against the objectives of access to
adequate, quality care for all. The sacrifice of access and
quality at the shrine of cost containment is too high a price to
pay and should not be tolerated [Minutes, 1988, p. 525].
"The Affordable
Health Care for America Act" [H.R. 3962] reflects these values
and will move the U.S. health care system a step in the right
direction to provide access to quality, affordable health care
for all. Most of the bill's provisions would go into effect in
2013.
This bill will:
• Increase
the number of legal U.S. residents with health insurance by 36
million by 2019.
• Expand
Medicaid to include all individuals under age 65 (children,
pregnant women, parents, and adults without dependent children)
with incomes up to 150% of the poverty level (FPL).
• Provide
subsidies to help lower income individuals and families purchase
insurance and to lower their cost sharing obligations.
• Require
individuals to purchase health insurance or pay a tax of 2.5% of
their adjusted gross income above the income tax filing
threshold up to the cost of an average insurance policy.
• Require
employers with payrolls exceeding $500,000 per year to provide
health insurance to their employees or pay a penalty (86% of
American businesses would be exempt from this requirement,
though most employees would be covered).
• Prohibit
pre-existing condition exclusions.
• Eliminate
underwriting based on health status, gender or occupation.
• Limit
out-of-pocket expenses.
• Remove
lifetime or annual coverage caps.
• Define
"essential" benefits that must be covered by insurance plans.
• Create a
National Health Insurance Exchange through which individual and
employers can purchase qualified insurance, including from
private health plans and the public health insurance option.
• Create a
public health insurance option to be offered through the
National Health Insurance Exchange that must meet the same
requirements as private plans regarding benefit levels, provider
networks, consumer protections, and cost-sharing.
Action:
Contact your
member of Congress before Saturday, November 7th, and urge
him/her to support H.R. 3962 - "The Affordable Health Care for
America Act."
U.S. Capitol
Switchboard - (202) 224-3121
Take Action! |
Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) calls for just health care reform -
Q & A
[9-16-09]Moderator Bruce
Reyes-Chow has passed along this very helpful short summary prepared
by the Washington Office of the PC(USA), regarding our church’s
long-standing commitment to the idea of health care for all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Health Care Reform | Questions and
Answers
From the Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church
(USA)
What does the PC(USA) support?
 | For over 60 years, Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) General Assemblies have been calling for
reform of the U.S. health system, urging the
establishment of a national medical plan that will
ensure health coverage for all persons residing in the
United States. |
 | The most recent General Assembly (2008) “endorse[d]
in principle the provision of single-payer universal
health care reform in which health care services are
privately provided and publicly financed… as the program
that best responds to the moral imperative of the
gospel.” [Minutes, 2008, p. 1133] |
 | Any reform plan should be guided by these values: |
- Universal Accessibility: We
believe that all people possess inherent worth as
children of God, and that God’s promise extends to
all. Health coverage must be available to all
persons living in the United States, regardless of
income, race or ethnicity, geography, age, gender,
employment status or health status [Minutes, 1994,
p. 574; Minutes, 2002, p. 634]
- Equity: Because the right to
acquire adequate health care springs out of our
worth as living human beings, rather than out of any
particular merit or achievement belonging to some
but not to others, adequate health care should be
defined equally for all people. [Minutes, 1976, pp.
203-207]
- Responsible Financing: Since
society has an interest in the health of its people,
those individuals and organizations who can pay
should help to finance the care for those
individuals and families who cannot pay [Minutes,
1991, p. 817]. While concerns for the costs of
health care are appropriate, these concerns must
continually be balanced against the objectives of
access to adequate, quality care for all. The
sacrifice of access and quality at the shrine of
cost containment is too high a price to pay and
should not be tolerated [Minutes, 1988, p. 525].
Does the church support socialized medicine?
No, the church supports health reform that is privately
provided and publically funded. Socialized medicine
generally refers to health care systems that are run by
government, in which medical facilities are owned by
government and health care providers are employed by
government. PC(USA) General Assemblies have not
commented on such a system, nor is the U.S. Congress
considering such a proposal.
Why does the church support single-payer?
The single-payer health coverage envisioned by the 218th
General Assembly is a system in which health insurance
is publicly financed, while medical care is provided by
private practitioners. One example of a single-payer
health care system would be a “Medicare for all”
approach, though single-payer requires only that
financing come from a single source, rather than the
multiple sources that currently provide U.S. health
coverage (employers, government, individuals, etc.).
The 218th General Assembly (2008) adopted an overture
supporting the principle of single-payer health care.
The overture outlined the serious crisis in the U.S.
health system, highlighting the rapidly swelling ranks
of the uninsured, the increasing occurrence of
medically-caused bankruptcies, and efficiency of
government-run Medicare and Medicaid programs, when
compared to private insurance companies.
On what authority is the church speaking on this
issue?
In keeping with our polity, public witness by the
National Offices on the topic of health care reform is
based entirely on General Assembly policy.
The Stated Clerk’s
recent statement (Aug. 2009) draws almost
exclusively on the Rationale of the 218th General
Assembly (2008) overture on single-payer health reform,
the entirety of which can be found at
http://www.pc-biz.org/Explorer.aspx?id=1833.
What is the role of government and why should it
be involved?
The 1988 General Assembly summarized John Calvin’s
explanation: “civil government is ordained by God to
order and serve the human community and therefore to be
held in respect and honor. Service in the public order
is the highest vocation for Christians. The civil state
by its own definition and tradition is to serve the
causes of justice, the common well being. We believe
that the church must not only call upon the political
order to serve the causes of justice but actively
participate in efforts to shape public policies and
institutions so that they serve human needs effectively
and equitably.” (Minutes, 1988, p. 47)
Why does the church care?
Presbyterians believe that God desires shalom –
wholeness and healing –for every person, not just for
those who can afford it. Health is much more than the
absence of a physical or mental malady or the pursuit of
physical or mental perfection. Jesus’ command to love
our neighbor requires persons with plentiful resources
both to comprehend the condition of those persons
without basic health care and to share the means to
health. [Minutes, 1999, pp. 341-342]
What is the PC(USA) doing now?
The PC(USA), through its Washington Office, is
engaged in public witness at the federal level. On
health care, the Washington Office is following closely
the legislative process and evaluating health reform
proposals in light of General Assembly social witness
policy statements.
Further, the Washington Office is engaged with
ecumenical and interfaith partners to lift up the voices
of people of faith. Through Washington Office
organizing and publications, Presbyterians are invited
to get involved in the public policy process.
The ministry of the Washington Office is to communicate
General Assembly policy to decision-makers and to
provide resources to Presbyterians, so that they might
be engaged in public debate and witness.
How do I get in touch with the Washington Office?
You can reach the Washington Office by
eMail
or phone (202) 543-1126.
|
Health Care
for All is a Moral Imperative -
quotations Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?'
Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks
the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must
take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but
because conscience tells one it is right.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The good we secure for ourselves is
precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and
incorporated into our common life.
Jane Addams
The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its
children.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Nothing is politically right which is
morally wrong.
Daniel O'Connell
Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the
conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who clearly recognize the
voice of their own conscience usually recognize also the voice of
justice.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
The one thing that doesn’t abide by
majority rule is a person’s conscience.
Harper Lee
Conscience is the chamber of justice. Origen
We appeal as human beings to human beings.
Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.
Albert Einstein
The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction,
is the first and only object of good government.
Thomas Jefferson
Click here for more quotations
Thanks to Phyllis Stenersen,
who is creating the interesting websites
WiseThoughts.com and
ProgressiveValues.org |
140,000 participate
in historic faith call on health reform, with President Obama
[8-22-09]
Conference call on health reform co-sponsored by PC(USA)
Presbyterian News Service
reports:
An estimated 140,000 people of
faith gathered on an historic national conference call with
President Barack Obama Aug. 19 to discuss health care reform.
The 90-minute conference call was
sponsored by more than 30 churches and other religious groups,
including the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). One purpose of the call
was to help launch a campaign —
“40 Days for Health Reform”
— to mobilize people of faith to press Congress to finish work on
health care reform when it returns after the Labor Day recess.
A recording of the call is
available at Faith for
Health or the
Blog Talk Radio
site.
The rest of the
report >> |
Stated Clerk issues statement on current health care debate
"Reforming our health care system cannot wait"
[8-14-09]
From Witness in
Washington Weekly, published by the
Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), August
14, 2009
LOUISVILLE - The Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated
Clerk of the General Assembly, has issued the following statement in
light of the national attention on health care reform:
The current public debate about health care has
led several people to ask what the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has
said about this issue.
The 218th General Assembly (2008) directed the
Stated Clerk to send
the following
resolution to appropriate committee chairs in the United States
Congress:
Jesus Christ, who has reconciled us to God,
healed all kinds of sickness (Mt. 4:23, par) as a sign of God's
rule. Isaiah speaks God's word to say "No more shall there be
... an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who
does not live out a lifetime" (Isa. 65:20a). We, as Reformed
Christians, bear witness to Jesus Christ in word, but also in
deed. As followers of our Great Physician Jesus, we have a moral
imperative to work to assure that everyone has full access to
health care.
Our nation is in a crisis in health care,
which presents an unprecedented opportunity for our nation to
provide health care affordable for all. In this country there is
a baby born every fifty-one seconds to a family with no health
insurance. In this, the wealthiest nation in the world, our
infant mortality rate is second highest in the industrialized
world. Forty-seven million Americans are uninsured (50 percent
employed; 25 percent children; 20 percent out of labor force as
students, disabled, et al.; 5 percent unemployed). The U.S.
spends nearly twice as much per capita than any other country on
health care, but we rank poorly in the thirty-seven categories
of health status measured by the World Health Organization. The
rise in childhood obesity, asthma, diabetes, and other chronic
diseases indicates that the overall health status of people of
this country is declining.
We are warned by the prophets not to heal the
wounds of God's people lightly; yet in 2006 the aggregate
profits of the health insurance companies in the United States
were $68 billion. During that same year more than 15,000
families were forced into bankruptcy because of medical
expenses. Our business employers operate at a competitive
disadvantage internationally because health care costs are
assumed by the governments of other industrialized nations. The
General Assemblies of the PC(USA) and its predecessors since
1971 have called for reform of health delivery systems in the
United States to make them accessible to the entire population.
Our federal government already operates efficiently and with low
overhead the health delivery programs of Medicare and Medicaid;
and yet at the same time insurance companies spend nearly
one-third of every premium dollar on marketing and other
administrative costs and in fact, several such companies spend
less than 60 percent of premium dollars they receive on health
care services.
The American College of Physicians, the
nation's second largest physician group, has endorsed a
single-payer healthcare system. Only a single-payer system of
national health care coverage (privately provided; publicly
financed; not socialized medicine) can save what is estimated to
be $350 billion wasted annually on medical bureaucracy and
redirect those funds to expanded coverage.
Since the publication of this resolution, the
nation has been engaged in an escalating polarization on the issue.
Consensus seems far off and the details of how to reach the goal of
comprehensive health care continue to confound our country. Yet,
consensus as a nation is imperative because reforming our health
care system cannot wait. The General Assembly has been clear that
Congress must enact comprehensive health care reform that will
provide all persons with access to health care services.
I am mindful of a portion of a prayer Peter
Marshall prayed in 1947 when he was chaplain of the Senate. "We know
deep down in our hearts that without Thy guidance we can do nothing,
but with Thee we can do all things. Let us not be frightened by the
problems that confront us, but rather give Thee thanks that Thou
hast matched us with this hour. May we resolve, God helping us, to
be part of the answer, and not part of the problem; for Jesus' sake.
Amen."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
President Obama to join conference
call with people of faith
President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation
to join the faith community on a conference call on Wednesday,
August 19, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern / 4:00 p.m. Central / 3:00 p.m.
Mountain / 2:00 p.m. Pacific. The goal of the call is to connect and
energize the millions of people of faith across the country who are
concerned about health care and who want to be part of the solution.
Because thousands of participants are expected,
you are urged to RSVP to help facilitate planning and to guarantee
your place on the call. You may also submit a question for the
President when you register. In addition, you are invited to tell
your family, friends, and colleagues; spread the word through your
email networks; and invite others to listen to the call with you.
RSVP at
http://faithforhealth.org/join-the-call to receive your call-in
information and to submit a question.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
General Assembly Guidance:
In 2002, the General Assembly approved "Advocacy
on Behalf of the Uninsured," in which it:
 | Reaffirm[ed] the church's commitment to
advocacy for a national medical plan. |
 | Encourage[d] presbyteries, sessions, and the
members of congregations to be advocates for universal health
care and to support advocacy efforts in their local communities
to bring public and private entities together in this effort. |
 | Urge[d] presbyteries and sessions to provide
educational programs and advocacy efforts on behalf of persons,
especially those with low incomes and fixed incomes, without
medical insurance. |
|
Seven Falsehoods About Health Care
Big myths about the current debate
[8-14-09]
From
Factcheck.org
So much for a slow news month. August feels
like campaign season, with claims on health care coming at us
daily. Does the House bill call for mandatory counseling on how
to end seniors’ lives sooner? Absolutely not. Will the
government be dictating to doctors how to treat their patients?
No. Do the bills propose cutting Medicare benefit levels? No on
that one, too.
But on the other hand, has Congress figured
out how to pay for this overhaul? Not yet. Or will it really
save families $2,500 a year as the president keeps claiming?
Good luck on that one, too.
In this article we offer a run-down of seven
falsehoods we’ve taken on recently, with some additional
updating and research thrown in.
They list these “seven falsehoods” – and provide
detailed corrections, with citations for each:
 | False: Government Will Decide What Care I Get
(a.k.a. they won’t give grandma a hip replacement) |
 | False: The Bill Is Paid For |
 | False: Private Insurance Will Be Illegal |
 | False: The House Bill Requires Suicide
Counseling |
 | False: Families Will Save $2,500 |
 | False: Medicare Benefits Will Be Slashed |
 | False: Illegal Immigrants Will Be Covered |
Get the full story >> |
Health Care Reform: The Voice of
Faith
Among the many voices
being raised in the debate over health care reform, this message
from Interfaith Worker Justice seems to say some important
things, to offer suggestions for action, and to provide some
good resources through the links at the end of the note.
[8-12-09]
Everyone in this country knows that our health
care system is broken. Doctors and hospitals, as well as patients
and communities, deal with the crisis every day. But there is no
consensus yet on what reforms are needed. Legislation may pass this
fall because the President, members of Congress, and health care
activists are committed to reforming health care in America.
Interfaith Worker Justice, recognizing the fundamental dignity of
all human beings as children of God, believes that everybody
deserves affordable, quality health care. The person who mows your
lawn or cares for your elderly mother should receive the same
quality of care as Bill Gates.
As people of faith, our voices must be heard now
in the debate over what health care reform will look like. Call your
two Senators and your Congressperson today and ask to speak to their
legislative staffer for health care. Tell them that, as a person of
faith, you support universal, affordable, quality health care for
all. Call the Capitol switchboard for your Representative's phone
number. The numbers are 202-224-3121 for your two Senators, and
202-225-3121 for your Congressperson. Please e-mail
Ted Smukler, to let us know
you have made this important call.
Please see
IWJ's resources on health care justice -- or you can download
these pdfs directly:
Another great religious resource on the issue is
Faithful Reform in Healthcare. Their website is
www.faithfulreform.org.
In peace, justice and health,
Ted Smukler
Public Policy Director, Interfaith Worker Justice
If you have thoughts to share
-- or resources to recommend --
please
send a note, to be shared here! |
Faithful America urges:
Reform, not Fear
[8-8-09]In the past 10
years, health insurance premiums have doubled, and
millions of Americans still struggle to afford health care.
The health reform proposals currently before the
Senate will ease the burden on us all, from those most in need to
middle class families. There’s a lot on the line in the health care
debate, yet special interests, even those who claim to be speaking
for people of faith, are
trying to block
reform with distortions and distractions.
Faithful America – a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization – is encouraging people to sign on to this brief letter
to U. S. Senators:
Senators:
Our families, congregations and communities
feel the impact of our broken health care system every day. Too
much is at stake to get sidetracked by distortions and
distractions.
We in the faith community call on you to focus
on facts, not fear, in your deliberations and to pass meaningful
health care reform that makes quality, affordable health care
available to all.
This new package should include, at a minimum,
reforms such as stopping insurance companies from denying
coverage for pre-existing conditions, a cap on out-of-pocket
health care expenses and a strong affordability standard that
makes families up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level able to
afford coverage.
Click here to add your name to the letter >> |
What's Happening with Health Care?
[8-8-09]From “Witness
in Washington Weekly,” published by the Washington Office of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on August 6, 2009:
Congress has made significant progress on health
reform in the last two weeks. On the House side, all three
committees have approved a bill (which vary slightly from each
other) and the compromise awaits consideration by the full House
when they return after the August recess. On the Senate side, one of
two committees has approved a bill, and the other is expected to
release their version of the health insurance overhaul in early
September. Though neither chamber has taken a full vote yet, the
process is underway.
The proposals look somewhat promising -- both the
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP)
proposal (the one that has been approved by its committee) and the
joint (tri-committee) House proposal would make the health insurance
market more accountable to patients by significantly reforming the
private insurance market and including a public health insurance
option. Though none of the proposals on the table include a
single-payer system like the one for which the 218th General
Assembly (2008) expressed support, the expansion in coverage that
these bills would bring would reach tens of millions of people who
do not currently have access to health coverage, and therefore,
care. Congress is not taking the approach the PC(USA) has called
for, but is moving in the right direction.
Health care reform is very close to becoming a
reality, but the remaining hurdle is the question of money. Congress
needs to agree on how to finance this reform effort. Your members of
Congress need to hear your voice this August recess. As you can
imagine, opponents of change are well organized and financed. We
have heard that calls to members' offices run 3 to 1 against health
care reform. If people want improvements in the health care system,
controls over private insurance, and a major step toward a single
payer plan, members need to hear about it - now.
Your Senators will be in your state August 8-31,
while and your Representative is probably already home, the House
having adjourned last week. Call your Members' district offices
right away to schedule a meeting. Your members of Congress may also
be holding local town hall meetings on health care (information
should be posted on their websites). Let your members of Congress
know that you want everyone in the United States to have access to
equal, accessible, affordable, high-quality health care.
 | Throughout August, the WWW will provide
updates on the content of the various health proposals in light
of General Assembly policy on access to health care. |
General Assembly Guidance:
In 2002, the General Assembly approved "Advocacy
on Behalf of the Uninsured," in which it:
 | Reaffirm[ed] the church's commitment to
advocacy for a national medical plan. |
 | Encourage[d] presbyteries, sessions, and the
members of congregations to be advocates for universal health
care and to support advocacy efforts in their local communities
to bring public and private entities together in this effort. |
 | Encourage[d] members of Congress to recognize
the importance of universal health care - that is, equal,
accessible, affordable, and high-quality health care for all
persons residing in our nation. |
In 2008, the 218th General Assembly:
 | Endorse[d] in principle the provision of
single-payer universal health care reform in which health care
services are privately provided and publicly financed. |
 | Direct[ed] the General Assembly Council,
through appropriate offices including the National Health
Ministries, the Washington Office, and the Presbyterian Health,
Education, and Welfare Association (PHEWA), to advocate for,
educate about, and otherwise pursue the goal of obtaining
legislation that enacts single-payer, universal national health
insurance as the program that best responds to the moral
imperative of the gospel; monitoring progress toward this goal
and reporting back to the next two General Assemblies (2010 and
2012). |
|
To Hell with Health Care Reform: Religious Right
leaders attack Obama, spout GOP dogma about “socialism” while
fanning flames on abortion
[8-4-09]from
People for the American Way
Religious Right
leaders have enthusiastically joined Republican-led opposition to
health care reform efforts.
Much of the Religious
Right’s organizing energy has been devoted to incendiary and false
claims about the administration’s alleged stealth plan to force
every health plan to cover - and force all doctors to provide -
abortion services. None of these approaches are actually included in
the plans working their way through Congress. In fact, anti-choice
members of Congress are using health reform to institute a new
nationwide abortion ban in private insurance plans taking away
coverage women already have.
In addition,
Religious Right leaders have joined the parade of talking heads
spouting bogus right-wing talking points about health care plans
moving in Congress, falsely claiming that reform constitutes a
socialist government takeover of the entire health care industry.
Focus on the Family’s
James Dobson, on a recent conference call for anti-choice activists,
sounded both those charges, calling reform legislation a “huge
abortion industry bailout” as well as a “health care power grab by
the federal government.” Operation Rescue similarly conflates the
anti-choice and anti-government arguments, urging activists “to act
now to stop Obama's radical, socialistic abortion agenda…” The
Christian Broadcasting Network has provided a major platform for
anti-reform activists.
The full article >> |
On health care reform:
Have you heard about the six senators who are out to kill health
care reform?
[7-30-09]
This message comes from Credo
Action,
part of the WorkingAssets program
Of course, that's not how they'd phrase it. Sens.
Baucus, Bingaman, Conrad, Enzi, Grassley and Snowe say they're
striving for "bi-partisan compromise." But what they're actually
doing is working to make sure reform won't include a public option
or mandatory employer-based insurance - two key policies needed for
effective reform.
There are 100 members of the Senate, but these
six, inexplicably, seem to be holding all the cards when it comes to
health care.
So you probably won't be surprised to learn that
all six have taken a huge amount of money from the health insurance
industry and pharma. Take a look:
Senator |
Lifetime
contributions from Insurance/Pharma |
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) |
$1,203,205 |
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
|
$206,297 |
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) |
$442,165 |
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) |
$342,228 |
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
|
$702,595 |
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
|
$161,706 |
TOTAL: |
$3,058,256 |
These six senators -- who, by the way, represent only 2.74% of
Americans between them -- are writing bad policy, and they're doing
it while they take money from the very companies who stand to
benefit the most.You may want to sign a
petition to tell Sens. Baucus, Bingaman, Conrad, Enzi, Grassley and
Snowe: Give back every dime you've ever received from health
insurance companies and big pharma.
More >> |
Facing the health care crisis in 2009
We have posted numerous items on
the health care crisis over the past few years -- first a long analysis of
"Medicaid and the 2006 Budget,"
published by the Presbyterian Washington Office in 2005. A
newer page carries a variety of good
material from 2006 up to earlier in 2009.
But it's
clear that the situation has shifted from hand-wringing to proposals for
action. Here are some that we think you may find helpful.
 | The Rev. Bruce Gillette
points us toward very helpful resources for preachers --
especially
since the Lectionary gospel lesson for June 28th is
Mark 5:25-34,
the story of Jesus healing two women. |
 |
Gillette also encourages
people to call their local Walgreens for their
refusal (in Delaware and some other states) to serve the poor and sick
on Medicaid.
|
 | Republicans support
public health insurance, too!
Well, not all of them, but still ...!
The Rev. Ralph Clingan offers this thought on
the surprising support for public health insurance, even among
Republicans. |
|
Christian Century features three pieces
on health-care reform
[6-30--09]
For the first time in 15 years, Congress and the White House are
having a go at significant health-care reform. Our July 14
issue's
editorial
discusses the controversy over the "public option"--the plan for
a public insurer to compete with private ones. Social ethicist
and single-payer advocate Gary Dorrien
supports
the public option but stresses that it will improve things only
if its details have some teeth. Robert Francis, domestic policy
director for the ELCA,
explains
how he and others balance the demands of representing
denominational policy and participating in the larger debate.
|
The Bible Speaks Today: Sunday’s Gospel and
Public Health Care
by the Rev.
Bruce Gillette, Co-Pastor of Limestone Presbyterian Church, Wilmington,
Delaware
[6-25-09]
Twenty-year-old General Assembly studies are not often seen as helpful
sources for lectionary preachers, but those working on their sermons for
June 28th might be surprised what they find on the Office of the General
Assembly web site.
The PCUSA -
Revised Common Lectionary’s gospel lesson for June 28th is
Mark 5:25-34,
the story of Jesus healing two women. Mark 5:25-34
is used for a five-session study (see pages 75-82). found in the
downloadable PDF file at the OGA web site:
Life Abundant:
Values, Choices and Health Care - The Responsibility and Role of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A more recent resource is the 2008 book,
Preaching the Gospel of Mark: Proclaiming the Power of God
by Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm
published by PCUSA’s Westminster/John Knox Press. This seminary professor of
preaching has three points (pages 99-100) on how this
Mark 5:25-34 relates to “Poverty and Public
Health Care Crisis”
“The story of the woman who suffered for twelve years from chronic
hemorrhaging highlights her impoverishment and disease, opening a way for us
to preach and teach about poverty and the public health care crisis. Jesus
interrupts his journey to the home of a wealthy and respected leader of the
synagogue in order to attend to someone without material wealth or social
status. Yet he also attends to the young girl. His actions do not outline a
clear and simple health care plan for ours or any nation, but they do
suggest several points to consider as we debate the availability of adequate
health care for all people.
“First, by interrupting his journey to Jairus’ home, Jesus demonstrates the
divine priority given to persons who are suffering, marginalized, and poor.
With more than nine million children under the age of nineteen in the United
States without health insurance (and nearly 90 percent of them from working
families), preachers and teachers of the gospel have every reason to speak
of the need for comprehensive health care coverage for those who are most
vulnerable and least protected by our society. Like the woman who suffered
from the “care” of inadequate and exploitative medical practitioners, there
are many among us who suffer silently for want of adequate and affordable
health care.
“Second, Jesus’ care for both women demonstrates that the power of God’s
healing is not reserved for a few but intended for all; it is not a “zero
sum” equation that results in some people being blessed while others are
ignored. Rather, there is a generous and comprehensive spirit to Jesus’
actions that encourages us to seek ways of extending health care coverage to
all who need medical attention.
“Finally, Jesus affords the unnamed woman an opportunity to speak publicly
about what has happened to her. He directs our attention to those who have
no public voice and are relegated to the margins of social concern. In
calling for her testimony, Jesus encourages us to hear the testimonies of
other persons who experience injustice. In this way we may draw into the
center of our conversations persons who have been pushed to the margins of
social concern.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Reformed Call for Health Reform
is good reading that can be found in the May/June 2009 issue of the
Washington Report for Presbyterians.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Help Medicaid with a Phone Call to Walgreens
The largest drug chain in the USA has announced that it will
no longer serve the poor and sick on Medicaid in Delaware
starting on July 6th; this means one in five people in the state may have
difficulty getting needed medications. Other drug chains (Riteaid, Walmart,
Pathmark, etc.) and small, independent stores have agreed to the Delaware’s
Medicaid reimbursement policy, but Walgreens is now suing the state to
change its policy. The June 25th issue of the state-wide
News Journal
reports, “As a show of solidarity with those residents, members of the
Amputee Support Group of Delaware in New Castle and Sussex counties recently
voted to boycott Walgreens. While many of our members are not on Medicare or
Medicaid, we feel a sense of solidarity with the people who are in need,"
communications director Rick Hofmann said. "If they are not interested
enough in supporting the people who have difficulty in meeting their
prescriptions, they don't need money we would have spent on gum and other
stuff. It seemed offensive that Walgreens, with their size and record
profits and sales, to hold up the state of Delaware for more money.
Walgreens was trying to hold Medicare recipients hostage, and that did not
sit well with us."
Please call Walgreens in your area
and let them know that they should serve the poor on Medicaid in Delaware
(and everywhere!). Thank you!
Grace and Peace,
Bruce Gillette
Co-Pastor, Limestone Presbyterian Church
Wilmington, Delaware
Email:
bcgillette@comcast.net
|
Republicans
support public health insurance, too!
Well, not all of them, but still ...!
[6-25-09]The Rev. Ralph
Clingan offers this thought on the surprising support for public health
insurance, even among Republicans.
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar wrote for the AP a story
"Democrats Bolder on Public Insurance" in today's Newark Star-Ledger.
In the story, Sr. Zaldivar reported that the current NY Times-CBS Poll
records that 72% of Americans support public health insurance; 50% of the
Republicans polled. Did I mention the
Republicans for Single Payer
website? Dearly beloved, now is the moment to go for the gold. Carpe
diem!
Micah preached:
Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Ralph G. Clingan, PhD
www.actionpreaching.com
|
What should be the goal of health care reform?
[4-15-09]Monica Sanchez
writes for the Campaign For America's Future:
To guarantee everyone has access to quality,
affordable health care when they need it requires system-wide
reform that will lower the cost of health care and slow its
ridiculously high inflation rate. ... The way to lower overall
health care costs, stem their inflation rate and guarantee
everyone access to quality, affordable health care is to give
everyone the choice of a public health insurance option.
The
full essay >> |
And for earlier discussions
of health care issues ... We have posted
numerous items on the health care crisis over the past few years -- first a
long analysis of "Medicaid and the 2006 Budget,"
published by the Presbyterian Washington Office in 2005. A
newer page carries a variety of good
material from 2006 up to earlier in 2009. |
| |
|
Some blogs worth visiting |
PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
|
John Shuck’s
new "Religion
for Life" website
Long-time and stimulating blogger John Shuck,
a Presbyterian minister currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., writes about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up.
Click here for his blog posts.
Click here for podcasts of his radio program, which "explores
the intersection of religion, social justice and public life." |
|
John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New York City and the Queens
neighborhood of Ridgewood -- by a progressive New York City
Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the Witherspoon
board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian Church in
Flushing, NY. |
|
Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
|
Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
|
|