Healthcare

“Catholic social teaching offers a distinctly organic view of society that calls all parties to be open to sacrifice for the good of the whole.  That common good springs from true cooperation, not merely the competitive interaction of self-interests.  Reforming health care should not be reduced to a partisan issue, with the eyes of negotiators distracted by the goal of scoring political advantage. ……Many resources within Catholic social thought – including its requirement of a preferential option for the poor – challenge us to re-imagine health care as a basic human need, no less a religious obligation than providing food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless and clothing for the naked.”                               
 

~ Editorial, America Magazine, Sept. 28, 2009

This editorial reminds us all that the issue of health care reform must capture our time and attention, not only as concerned citizens of the United States, but as committed Christians.  In the world’s wealthiest nation, it is unconscionable that people are turned away from health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition and that families are just one illness away from bankruptcy.  Health care is a basic human right and we must continue to pray for wisdom and guidance for our elected officials, and urge them to support healthcare reform legislation now!

Catholic Charities USA offers the following clear and concise summary of the current state of the legislation.

On October 29, the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) introduced health care reform legislation, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" (H.R. 3962), at a rally held on the west front of the Capitol building.  This bill combines three different versions of H.R. 3200 passed by the House Committees of jurisdiction: Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor, and Ways and Means.  The legislation would:

• Create a national health insurance exchange with an option for state-run exchanges that would function as market places for people to shop for and compare plans;
• Require individuals to obtain insurance with hardship exemptions for eligible individuals;
• Expand Medicaid for individuals up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL)-about $33,000 for a family of four;
• Provide affordability credits on a sliding scale for individuals between 150 and 400 percent of the FPL;
• Cap out of pocket expenses at $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for families;
• Require employers to provide insurance or pay a fee up to eight percent of payroll.  It would exempt small businesses that have payrolls under $500,000 (86 percent of businesses);
• Create a public plan that operates in the exchange and competes with private insurance options.  Health care providers would be able to negotiate rates with the government;
• Address Medicare payment disparities; and
• Work to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole'.

The bill is estimated to cost $894 billion over ten years and is financed with Medicare savings and a 5.4 percent surtax on wealthy individuals (with incomes exceeding $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for couples).  Congressional Quarterly reports that a bill could come to the floor as early as Thursday, November 5.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid sent legislation to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for a cost estimate.  This legislation was merged from the Finance Committee's bill and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's bill.  It currently includes a public plan with an opt-out for states.  It is partially funded through an excise tax on high cost insurance plans-40 percent on plans costing $23,000 or more per year for a family. 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has raised concerns with the health care reform legislation being debated in Congress. For more information visit their website http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/.