Catholic bishops again speak out on health care reform

                        (AP photo/Michael Dwyer)

The U.S. Bishops have released a statement outlining their legislative priorities on health care reform. They offered four primary guidelines:

• a truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity;  
• access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of legal
immigrants;  
• pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of
conscience and variety of options; and  
• restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of
payers. 

In addition, the Bishops elaborated on two of these priorities:

Respect for life and dignity: As we renew our longstanding support for reforming our
nation’s health care system, we must also be clear that we strongly oppose inclusion of
abortion as part of a national health care benefit. We would also oppose inclusion of
technologies that similarly fail to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life. No health care
reform plan should compel us or others to pay for the destruction of human life, whether
through government funding or mandatory coverage of abortion. Any such action would be morally wrong.

Access for all:...The Bishops’ Conference believes health care reform should be truly universal and it should be genuinely affordable. Many lower-income families simply lack the resources to meet their health care expenses. For these families, significant premiums and cost-sharing charges can serve as barriers to obtaining coverage or seeing a doctor. Therefore,
Medicaid cost-sharing protections should be maintained and new coverage options should protect the lowest income enrollees from burdensome cost sharing. We urge Congress to limit premiums or exempt families earning less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level from monthly premiums. We also recommend limiting co-payments and other costs which could discourage needed care. In order to move toward universal coverage, we urge increases in eligibility levels. For example, we urge Congress to maintain at least the proposed minimum national eligibility level for Medicaid at 150 percent and CHIP at 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; to ensure comprehensive coverage; and to provide states with the resources to expand coverage.  
After health care reform is implemented, some individuals and families, including
immigrants, will still lack health insurance coverage. We have a responsibility to ensure
that no one is left without the ability to see a doctor when he or she is sick or get
emergency care when his or her health is at risk. Therefore, we urge Congress to ensure
sufficient funding for safety-net clinics, hospitals and other providers serving those who
will continue to fall through the cracks of a reformed system. 

This is truly a wise and reasonable approach to health care reform. This preserves and balances the principles of solidarity (standing with those in need) and subsidiarity (solving problems at the lowest effective level). The federal government is a safety-net, not a primary provider.

Tonight, a bipartisan group of pro-life leaders will present a webcast to educate the public on the perils to pro-life principles that exist in the current plans for health care reform. This group will include Kristen Day of Democrats for Life, Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, Dr. Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life, and Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, among others. The webcast will be broadcast tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern time and can be viewed at this web site. Go to this site to register to view the webcast as well as to find out more information about the concerns of the pro-life community. It is vital that all citizens, especially all Catholic citizens, educate themselves about the moral dangers of the current health care reform legislation.

Bobby Jindal, the Catholic governor of Louisiana, proposed a strategy for health care reform that is in line with the Bishops proposals. Do read his entire proposal, but his last paragraph is key:

These steps would bring down health-care costs. They would not bankrupt our nation or increase taxes in the midst of a recession. They are achievable reforms with bipartisan consensus and public support. All they require is a willingness by the president to slow down and have an honest discussion with Americans about the real downstream consequences of his ideas. Let’s start there.
 

Congress is considering a multi-trillion dollar endeavor. Before that kind of financial burden is imposed on the current as well as the future generations of Americans, there needs to be an honest and bipartisan discussion of the problems and the solutions.