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Faith groups grapple with role in Health Care Reform

Posted on August 23, 2009 by Kendall Harmon

The Rev. John Hay Jr. reads the parable of the Good Samaritan — who bandaged the wounds of an injured stranger and paid to have him cared for — and sees a biblical basis for supporting universal health care, even if it means a greater government role.

Curt Smith reads the same passage and sees an example of someone who helped his fellow man without asking for the government’s help in doing it. “Notice in the story of the Good Samaritan,” he said, “the guy used his own money.”

As the push for health-care reform enters a critical stage, faith leaders in Indianapolis and across the country generally agree that something must be done to help those who can’t afford care. But, as in Congress, people of faith are struggling to come up with a clear way to get the job done.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, Health & Medicine, Politics in General, Religion & Culture

4 comments on “Faith groups grapple with role in Health Care Reform”

  1. Sick & Tired of Nuance says:
    August 23, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Has Rev. John Hay Jr. gone down to the local hospital and offered to help pay anyone’s bill with his own money?

    If not, why is he so eager to reach into the back pockets of others and forcibly take their money to give to a third party to pay those bills?

    With all due respect, reach into your own pocket first before reaching into everyone else’s pockets.

  2. Branford says:
    August 23, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    And what about the fact that HR3200 (really the only bill under discussion) allows for federal funding of abortion. From FactCheck.org (part of the Annenberg Public Policy Center):

    Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans. . .

    The truth is that bills now before Congress don’t require federal money to be used for supporting abortion coverage. So the president is right to that limited extent. But it’s equally true that House and Senate legislation would allow a new “public” insurance plan to cover abortions, despite language added to the House bill that technically forbids using public funds to pay for them. Obama has said in the past that “reproductive services” would be covered by his public plan, so it’s likely that any new federal insurance plan would cover abortion unless Congress expressly prohibits that. Low- and moderate-income persons who would choose the “public plan” would qualify for federal subsidies to purchase it. Private plans that cover abortion also could be purchased with the help of federal subsidies. Therefore, we judge that the president goes too far when he calls the statements that government would be funding abortions “fabrications.”. . .

    Unfortunately, we know this isn’t a problem for TEC, but what about other Christian churches?

  3. DJH says:
    August 24, 2009 at 12:49 am

    The US Conference of Catholic Bishops have set up [url=http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/]a web site dedicated to health care reform[/url]. The Catholic Medical Association also [url=http://www.cathmed.org/issues_resources/publications/press_releases/statement_on_health_care_reform/]has online resources[/url]. Ignore anything from the Catholic Health Association or Network. These are run by dissident nuns who think abortion is no big deal. Similarly, avoid anything put out by Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, another pseudo-Catholic organization.

  4. Branford says:
    August 24, 2009 at 1:21 am

    DJH – thanks for the info.