December - Health Care

This month's study has been posted by Judy Weindling.

Scriptural References:
Matthew 9: 2-8, Matthew 9: 27-30, Mark 5: 21-43, Mark 13: 10-17, Luke 5: 12-15, Luke 9:2, 6, Acts 3: 6-9, Acts 14: 8-19

INTRODUCTION
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? Jeremiah 8:22

This month we will explore the issue of health care. I must admit that I was overwhelmed by the depth and scope of the topic. Health is a multidimensional concept, encompassing the entire human being, including every aspect of mind, body and spirit. To be healthy is to be whole, productive and capable of living up to one’s potential as a person made in God’s image. The health of a community is dependent upon the health of each of its members and it is incumbent upon society to ensure that each person has the tools and resources necessary to maintain their optimal level of health.

Central to the idea of maintenance of health is the concept of healing. As Christians, who seek to create the kingdom of God on earth, we attempt to emulate the example of Jesus, the consummate healer and to live out his admonition to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked and comfort the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-46). To this end we could study a broad range of topics including access to care throughout the world, including nutrition, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, human sexuality and reproductive issues and medical and bioethics. Perhaps at some time we will be able to examine them all, but in this study will cover the issue of access to health care and health care justice in the United States.

SCRIPTURE & HEALING
Throughout the gospels Jesus performs the miracle of healing both as an act of compassion and as a way of establishing his position as the Son of God. At times he uses these acts as a way to illustrate that the promise of God is for all people by healing the social outcast. The interplay of mind, body and spirit is illustrated by the variety of conditions that Jesus heals: making the lame walk, the blind see, casting out demons and stopping hemorrhage. By healing the lepers, Jesus restores them to wholeness and makes them clean and able to return to society. At times his acts are socially risky and place him under deeper scrutiny by the authorities, creating an element of risk. Ultimately, the healing stories give us a template for compassion, caring and love that transcends social norms and self concern. Healing is indelibly bound to the greatest commandment, that we love one another. Reading further in the New Testament we find that the disciples emulate the example of Jesus by themselves performing miracles of healing despite personal risk. The spread of the good news of Jesus is accomplished through personal sacrifice, toil and the emulation of the love and healing of Christ.

HEALTH & HEALTHCARE IN AMERICA
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane”. Today in America, the richest nation in the world, people die each day because they cannot access the care they need to keep or make them well. Lack of access occurs for a variety of reasons. Poor rural areas often lack facilities and qualified providers, in urban areas resources are overwhelmed, and many Americans cannot afford to pay for healthcare. According to public opinion surveys health is the top domestic concern. 18,000 Americans die each year because they cannot afford health care, this amount to two deaths every hour. One in seven or 45 million people lack health care insurance coverage, including over nine million children.

The Twin Scandals
Social programs, which should provide a safety net, are difficult to access, provide limited coverage and are consistently the target of governmental budget cuts because the people who benefit from these programs are not well represented politically. The persistent correlation between poverty and lack of access to health care has been called the “twin scandals”, which also is the name of a movement to raise awareness among church members about this disparity and to move this constituency to use their political voice on behalf of the vulnerable and the disenfranchised (see www.ucc.org/health/twin-scandals.html). The gospel is clear that Jesus’ healing power and presence was for all. What does it say about us, as his followers, that we fail to notice and act to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters who cannot be healed because they simply cannot afford health care? Speaking up, taking a political stand against this injustice may involve the risk that we will be seen as too liberal, too fiscally irresponsible. It may involve stepping out of our comfort zone and drawing attention to ourselves. It may tax our already overloaded schedules. Did Jesus, our role model, worry about speaking out?

The SCHIP Debate
The debate over health care access is in the news almost daily as the legislature grapples with how to design and fund programs. While some embrace the concept of universal health insurance, others declaim the idea as socialism. Many worry about the cost in tax dollars. In October, President Bush vetoed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act (H.R.976), which sought to expand coverage to more of the nine million uninsured children, and both legislative branches, without a veto-proof majority, passed a weaker bill that is on the President’s desk as you read this. What does it say about us, as the followers of Jesus, that we fail to provide for the very ones about whom Jesus said “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.

The Problem of Inadequate Coverage
Even for those with health insurance healing may be difficult to attain. Health care costs are the leading cause of bankruptcy and almost 70 percent of the uninsured live in families with at least one full time worker. There is persistent social stigma associated with some conditions, creating a parallel with biblical lepers. Mental illness and HIV/AIDS are two conditions that still evoke feelings of shame. For people suffering from these illnesses access to care may be compromised by limits on coverage, even for those with private insurance. Our elderly face age related declines in health and are often left with inadequate resources to manage their health issues. Existing medicare plans force out of pocket expenses for medical tests, treatment and prescriptions that force many elders to choose between health care and basic necessities such as food.

Being Present in Another’s Suffering
In the Jewish tradition there is a mitzvah, an obligation or commandment found in the Torah, to visit and to pray for the sick. As Christians, an important display of compassion and love is to be truly present in the suffering of another, whether the pain is physical, such as illness, emotional, such as depression or grief, or spiritual, such as feelings of loss of community or connection to God. In the act of being present there is great comfort. In this day of the global village, how can we be present for those who suffer who we “know of” but do not know personally? Perhaps if we use our collective voice to speak out against the injustice of unequal access, perhaps if we speak loudly enough that those who suffer know that they are not abandoned we can fulfill the mitzvah and in doing so become better disciples of Christ.

THE UCC ON HEALTH CARE
The United Church of Christ has a long history of recognition of the disparity of health care access. In 1975 General Synod 10 called for a health policy emphasizing universal access, comprehensive benefits, government financing and reform of delivery. The 1977 General Synod 11 resolved to work toward the creation of a national health care system. A 1991, General Synod 18 pronouncement affirmed the moral and justice imperatives of equal access for all to high quality and affordable health care. General Synod 21 passed a resolution reclaiming the church’s ministry of health and healing and called for the establishment of health ministries which are “ rooted in the ministries of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue Jesus’ ministries of compassion, justice, and wholeness for all God’s people”. Please access www.ucc.org/health to view these related ministries and find out how to join the UCC in advocacy for these vital issues.

Other Resources
The Children’s Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
God is Still Speaking about Healthcare,
www.ucc.org/justice/God-is-still-speaking-about-health-care-booklet.pdf
www.WebMD.com/election2008/default.htm

QUESTIONS
1. Does our faith obligate us to be aware of the political climate surrounding health care? What do you know about the Presidential candidates’ views on health care?
2. How can we as a church make a difference in the lives of those who lack access to health care? Do we know if this problem affects any within our congregation?
3. The problem of access to health care is a global one. Can you think of examples of this that have been in the media recently? How has the UCC and MCC responded?