2006 Election Issues for Catholics:

CCG Issue Paper: The Exclusive Health Care System

The Problem and Its Impact The last major proposal to provide comprehensive health care to all Americans was sent to the U.S. Congress by President Clinton in 1994. It failed and since that time the nation's problems have deepened: Aggregate health care spending in 1994 was $2 trillion, 12 percent of the gross national product. In 2005 it is $3 trillion, 16 percent. (NYT, 8/22/06) Americans pay for the most expensive health care system in the world, yet more than 45 million people have no insurance and limited access to primary or non-emergency care. Many of the insured grow increasingly threatened about their continued coverage and its affordability. U.S. leadership has been unwilling to summon the political will, moral courage and willingness to sacrifice for the common good that universal health care requires.


How the Problem Developed Over several decades, access to care and coverage has gone down as costs have gone up. Many factors contribute to the high cost of care that makes the system exclusive:

  • Growth and longevity of the aged population, a group in declining health by definition;

  • Third party payments (public and private insurance coverage) which masks the true cost of care for insured consumers;
  • Lack of coordination or case management of the individual's care, leading to disconnectedness in the delivery system and questionable treatments and procedures;
  • Technological advances introduced into the system in the areas of pharmaceuticals, diagnostic testing, surgical procedures, and end-of-life care, with no consistent, central review of their efficacy;
  • The insured consumer's desire for unfettered access to care;
  • The care provider's desire for unfettered practice of medicine.

    The end result of these factors is that U.S. health care is rationed on the basis of an individual's age and economic status.

    Catholic Teaching on Health Care The U.S. Bishops have reminded us that "Affordable and accessible health care is an essential safeguard of human life, a fundamental human right, and an urgent national priority. We need to reform the nation's health care system, and this reform must be rooted in values that respect human dignity, protect human life, and meet the needs of the poor and uninsured." (Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility) Everyone wants universal coverage, but few of the insured are willing to change the way they access services and choose to believe that if the "middlemen" (private insurance company) administrative costs were eliminated there would be sufficient resources to cover an additional 46 million persons with open access to the growing range of health care services. Few serious analysts believe this. Meanwhile, advocates commonly understand that life turns out differently for the uninsured--about 18,000 Americans die each year of treatable diseases because they don't have health care coverage--a number comparable to having a 9/11 disaster occur every other month. Should this impact cause us to take the Bishops' words in Faithful Citizenship more seriously: "What kind of a nation do we want to be?"

    Actions for Consideration Catholics are urged to vote for candidates "based on the full range of issues, as well as on the candidate's personal integrity, philosophy and performance," keeping in mind that "a Catholic moral philosophy does not easily fit the ideologies of 'right' or 'left,' nor the platform of any party Our responsibility is to measure all candidates, policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect the life, dignity and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and the vulnerable and advance the common good." (Faithful Citizenship)

  • Should the Catholic values voter find out the candidates' position on financing of health care; universal coverage; incremental reforms, such as the Michigan First Health Care plan for currently uninsured persons; support for the Medicaid program, up to seeking increased revenue to support the program adequately?

  • What would the candidate propose to modify in the delivery and financing structures to make health care costs affordable for businesses, government and citizens alike?

     

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    In agreement with the U.S. Bishops, Catholics are urged to vote for candidates “based on the full range of issues, as well as on the candidate’s personal integrity, philosophy and performance,” keeping in mind that “a Catholic moral philosophy does not easily fit the ideologies of ‘right’ or ‘left’, nor the platform of any party…Our responsibility is to measure all candidates, policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect the life, dignity and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and the vulnerable and advance the common good."8

    “Most issues are moral issues. If we take moral issues seriously, we need to vote accordingly.”

    – Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
    Caucus Co-chair

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    1. Statements from the publication “Faithful Citizenship: a Catholic Call to Political Responsibility,” US Conference of Catholic Bishops; concepts adapted from “Peaceweavings: Choosing a Presidential Candidate, Pax Christi, USA and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference.
    2.David Kamin, tax and budget analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, by telephone, August 27, 2004
    3. “Tax Returns: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Bush Administration’s Record on Cutting Taxes,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 2004
    4. “Studies Shed New Light on Effects of Administration’s Tax Cuts,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 25, 2004, with data from the Congressional Budget Office Mid-Session Budget Review
    5. “Assessing President Bush’s Fiscal Policies,” Mark M. Zandi, Economy.com, July 2004
    6. “Gap Between Rich and Poor Widening in Troubled Economy,” by Leigh Strope, Associated Press, August 17, 2004
    7.Economic Justice For All Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 1986, 202d. The U.S. Bishops’ election statement (Faithful Citizenship, November 2003) is silent on the matter of fair taxation policies that can generate sufficient revenue for basic needs programs.
    8. Address of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to the Diplomatic Corps, January 13, 2003
    9. See FN at 2
    10.“Studies Say Tax Cuts Now Will Bring Bigger Bill Later,” The New York Times, September 23, 2003
    11. Ibid
    12. “Studies Shed New Light on Effects of Administration’s Tax Cuts,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 25, 2004; Robert Reischauer, Urban Institute, as reported in Newsweek, May 24, 2004
    13. “The Unbearable Costs of Empire,” by Mark Weisbrot, Business Week Online, July 29, 2004; “This Can’t Go On,” by Paul Krugman, The New York Times, November 4, 2003, p. A29
    14. Congressional Budget Office data; The New York Times, September 23, 2003, p. C2
    15. “Tax Returns: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Bush Administration’s Record on Cutting Taxes, ” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 23, 2004
    16. “Studies Shed New Light on Effects of Administration’s Tax Cuts,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 25, 2004
    17. Ibid, Table 1
    18. See FN at 15; U.S. Treasury Department data
    19. “Studies Shed New Light on Effects of Administration’s Tax Cuts,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 25, 2004; “Tax Returns: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Bush Administration’s Record on Cutting Taxes,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 23, 2004
    20. “IRS Is Tightening Rules for Low-Income Tax Credit,” The New York Times, April 25, 2003
    21. NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, “Budget and Taxes,” Election 2004 Charts
    22. “NO END IN SIGHT TO RISING DEFICITS, EXPERTS WARN,” Committee for Economic Development, Concord Coalition, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, September 29, 2003
    23. Ibid, Table 1
    24. Ibid, Table 1
    25. Ibid, Table 1
    17. Ibid, Table 1


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