h/t nirbao

As a pastor, I am well aware of how health care policy affects ordinary people. At the denominational level, religious leaders are equally aware, and have been pushing Congress to deal with real reform.

Most media outlets, however, are deaf to these voices, as the TradMed seems to always reduce religion in public life to the issue of abortion. But group after group has been speaking out on health care reform, often for many years, and sending their advocates to make their views known in DC as well.

For example, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA – my denomination) adopted a social statement on health and health care in 2003, and reiterated one of that statement’s central propositions this in a resolution overwhelmingly adopted this past August:

RESOLVED, that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in Assembly, commit this church in all of its expressions to the premise that “each person should have ready access to basic health care services that include preventive, acute, and chronic physical and mental health care at an affordable cost” (page 13); and be it therefore further RESOLVED, that this assembly request that the ELCA Washington Office, in partnership with the synods, congregations and members of the ELCA, convey the urgency and sense of this resolution to Congress and the White House.

Did this get reported in the TradMed? Not that I could see. They were more interested in following the teapartiers and reporting on the sexuality debates.

Similarly, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has likewise adopted statements on health care over the years, that include positions like these:

Every person has a basic right to adequate health care. The right flows fr0m the sanctity of human life and the dignity that belongs to all human persons, who are made in the image of God. It implies that access to that health care which is necessary and suitable for the proper development and maintenance of life must be provided for all people, regardless of economic, social or legal status. Special attention should be given to meeting the basic health needs of the poor. With increasingly limited resources in the economy, it is the basic rights of the poor that are frequently threatened first. (Health and Health Care, 1981, pdf pp. 9-10)

Our approach to health care is shaped by a simple but fundamental principle: “Every person has a right to adequate health care. The right flows from the sanctity of human life and the dignity that belongs to all human persons, who are made in the image of God.” Health care is more than a commodity; it is a basic human right, an essential safeguard of human life and dignity. We believe our people’s health care should not depend on where they work, how much their parents earn, or where they live. Our constant teaching that each human life must be protected and human dignity promoted leads us to insist that all people have a right to health care. . .

For three quarters of a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for national action to assure decent health care for all Americans. . . [A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform, 1993, pdf p. 3]

Now is the time for real health care reform. It is a matter of fundamental justice. For so many, it is literally a matter of life and death, of lives cut short, and dignity denied. . . [A Framework, pdf p. 6]

(Richard MacBrien had more on Roman Catholic teachings on health care reform last week at the National Catholic Reporter.)

The United Methodist Church’s 2004 Book of Discipline includes this:

Health is a condition of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being, and we view it as a responsibility—public and private. Health care is a basic human right. Psalm 146 speaks of the God “who executes justice for the oppressed;/ who gives food to the hungry./ The LORD sets the prisoners free;/ the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.” The right to health care includes care for persons with brain diseases, neurological conditions or physical disabilities, who must be afforded the same access to health care as all other persons in our communities. It is unjust to construct or perpetuate barriers to physical or mental wholeness or full participation in community.

In 2000, the UMC adopted a major resolution on health care, which reads in part:

Therefore, be it resolved, that The United Methodist Church expressly adopt the claim of health care as a “basic human right” and that this claim be the hallmark of our United Methodist efforts in this area of advocacy; and

Be it further resolved, that The United Methodist Church now demands health care as a basic human right and as an entitlement for all Americans, including Native Americans, and legal resident aliens; and

Be it further resolved, that The United Methodist Church will exert its influence in any arena and wherever possible to bring about substantive change in the health care system, respecting the hallmark of health care as a “basic human right”; and

Be it further resolved, that compassion and healing be the primary motivation in developing a health care system that is just and inclusive and recognizing this, The United Methodist Church now calls for implementation of a totally nonprofit health care insurance system, a single-payer system administered by the federal government;

Presbyterian Church (USA):

  • For more than 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]

    • The Mennonite Church USA reaffirmed a 2007 statement of health care policy principles at their 2009 convention, which includes this:

    We also call upon the U.S. Congress to support bipartisan legislation that assures access without barriers to affordable, basic, quality healthcare for all. Specifically, we urge Congress to:

    Support a healthcare system in which risks, costs and responsibility are shared by all

    There is enough for all, if all share healthcare resources, recognize limits and seek to be caretakers of health. We can learn from the experience of countries with exemplary records of assuring access and controlling costs. In these countries, healthcare is seen as a human or social right that helps bind a society together. Those with means help to shoulder the cost for those without, and costs are controlled with cooperative bargaining power.

    The Muslim American Society, just a couple of weeks ago:

    The political contest is heated, and often uncivil, yet Muslim physicians, national leaders, and civil rights leaders are united by two points of agreement: first, that health care is a human right – not a commodity; and second, that the tenets of the Islamic faith compel Muslims to work for social justice and compassion, which means, in the context of this political issue, universal health care in the United States.

    “This crucial issue involving health care moves beyond mere public policy. Universal health care is both a moral and spiritual imperative and must be recognized as a fundamental right for everyone,” stated MAS Freedom Executive Director, Mahdi Bray.

    These are samples of religious communities trying to speak out and be heard when it comes to health care reform. As I wrote last week, the parable of the Good Samaritan is a strong challenge to any who would see someone in need of health care but would pass them by without offering assistance — and religious group after group is stepping up to meet that challenge.

    In stark contrast to views of the Baucus Caucus, the overall message from many religious leaders and communities is clear: health care is a basic right, not a commodity, and society as a whole needs to develop mechanisms to make this right a reality for all in our midst, from the least to the greatest.

    It’s amazing that the some of the most overtly religious in Congress seem to be the most resistant to this message.