Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Is Government Health Care a Christian Solution?

An advantage of having a blog that is is somewhat widely read is that I get letters and emails from people all over the world who have various opinions on a variety of issues. The following letter came to my email from a Christian man named "Chuck Brown." Chuck is greatly concerned about our health care system in the United States and he wrote a letter articulating how he felt Christians should view the health care debate. I do not necessarily agree, nor disagree, with Chuck's letter. I'm still processing much of what he writes. However, with his permission, I am posting the letter below and asking you, my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ, to respond to his arguments for government health care. The only rule of thumb for the comment stream is that I ask you respond with your viewpoint in a kind, gracious and civil spirit.

"I have really good private health insurance through my employer. I pay a small fortune for it every month, and my employer pays them a much bigger fortune just for me and my family. My needs are being met right now, but I do not trust the private health insurance interests because, as 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “...the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

The private health insurance interests do not love you and me. They do not love the sick. They love only what is in someone’s pockets — yours and mine. I am personally convinced that they would gladly let a sick child die to save a dollar. This is why I am in favor of the health care reform plan taking shape in the U.S. Congress right now, including a government-run health insurance option to work in competition with private health care insurance. If you please, I would like to make the following four major points:

1) I would like to see the uninsured become insured. As a Christian, I would have to do that even if it was not what I wanted to do, but I want to do this. I make under $250,000 per year. Nonetheless, if it were to come down to it, I would be personally glad to pay more taxes to help these uninsured people. It is just plain the right thing to do.

2) The private health insurance interests are not in business to provide health care. They are in business for the same reason most other businesses are — to make money and as much of it as possible for their stockholders — and I am probably one of those stockholders. Back in the late 1980s, the private health insurance interests duped American businesses into thinking that they could control skyrocketing health care costs by taking over virtually the whole system. No doubt some cost savings were achieved for a while early in the game. Nonetheless, the overall costs of private health care kept rising at a tremendous annual rate over time, and it is still rising fast. One of the reasons was private health insurance profits.

I recently read an article that highlighted the story of a man who was a manager in a private health insurance company for 3 years. Most companies and small businesses feel fortunate to take home a 5 percent or 10 percent annual profit. The insurance manager said the annual profit for his company, over those 3 years, were 29 percent, 37 percent, and 49 percent. Where does that come from — your pocket and mine — while the cost of health insurance continues to skyrocket. Private health insurance is expensive because it is the only game in town. When you are the only game in town, you can jack prices into the stratosphere. The government-run option in the health care reform plan would create the competition and price control pressure necessary to put an end to this. If you dislike the multi-million dollar executive bonuses at failed Wall Street investment banks, the private health insurance rip-off should have your soul literally on fire. If it does not, you need to pinch yourself to see if you are still alive.

3) How soon we all forget. Many of us have selective amnesia, but I do not. I actually remember the time about 10 years ago when the private health insurance interests were denying treatments and drugs to patients right and left so they could line their pockets with the proceeds from human misery. That all changed rather suddenly when the federal politicians started getting seriously interested in something called “health care reform.” The naughty boys among the private health insurance interests saw dad reaching for his belt, coat, and the pathway to the woodshed. Collectively, these interests decided they had better “cool it” and get really reasonable with their patients --- that is until the storm blows over. They did get more reasonable. However, you folks out there have to understand that they did this only because of their fear of the looming fight ahead — the one we are in right now for real health care reform.

If the private health insurance interests win this health care reform fight we are in now, they will be King of the Hill – alone on top — no challengers — all enemies vanquished — in total control — answerable to no one — with absolute power over your health care. As the old saying goes, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” If they win this time, the cancer treatment that is merely questioned today could be denied next year. The expensive drug your son desperately needs to stay alive this year could be denied next year. There will be, quite literally, no one to stop the private health insurance interests, and they will do what they have always done — take maximum financial advantage of their wonderful new situation while your loved one sinks deeper into illness.

4) Be on the lookout for lies. The private health insurance interests and their cronies are in the BIG LIE business right now. One of their biggest lies is that government health plans do not work. That is not true. There are some problems in Canada and Great Britain, but even those are being addressed. They made some bad planning decisions. You will hear a lot about how Canada and Great Britain failed, so that must mean we will fail too. What they do not tell you is that Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and Switzerland have universal government health insurance that works very efficiently and is a lot less expensive per person than our current private health insurance system. Taiwan actually studied what Canada and Great Britain did wrong, so they could identify their specific mistakes and avoid them — which they did. It has been a tremendous success. If we Americans can put a man on the moon, we can do even better than Taiwan did with health care.

An associate of one of my close friends had a teenage son who was recently on travel in Great Britain. Somewhere in London, he had the great misfortune of getting his arm broken. Naturally, they rushed him to the hospital. He had good American health insurance. Was he denied help because he was a foreigner? No. Did he have to wait for hours in a long line for care? No. They treated him right away. He flashed his American health insurance card at them, and they laughed at him. “You don’t need that here,” they said. They fixed him right up and had him on his way to a full recovery in no time. What were the hospital and doctor charges? It is my understanding that they were ZERO.

Therefore, as a fellow Christian, I urge you to be watchful on this issue in both directions. If you are skeptical of the current health care reform program that is taking shape in the U.S. Congress, I would urge you to be equally skeptical of the private health insurance side. Some of the national news outlets like CNN (particularly Anderson Cooper Live 360ยบ (at 10:00 p.m. EDT and 9:00 p.m. CDT) have spots each night where they examine the claims on both sides to see who is actually telling the truth. It is crystal clear to me that the great weight of flat-out LIES is being told by those who are opposed to health care reform. Jesus would not have us take sides with a position that is caught nightly in a perpetual state of lying to the American people.

A great many of the millions of uninsured citizens in our country are what the King James Bible refers to as “...the least of these...” I am talking about the poor, the working poor, the mentally ill, the handicapped, sick people who are labeled as “too risky to cover,” those whose health insurance has been terminated, and many others. In light of that, I wonder when we, as Christians (as well as our pastors), are going to take seriously the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40, as follows:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord,when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Ultimately, health care reform is not about whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Constitutionalist, or whatever else. It is not about whether you are conservative, liberal, independent, or apolitical. It is not about whether you despise Barack Obama or like Barack Obama. Health care reform is about “…the least of these...” among us and our ability to make some changes that will help them.

Therefore, I would urge you to please support the health care reform bill that is taking shape in the U.S. Congress right now. Write to you elected representatives and ask them to support health care reform, including the government-run health care option to serve as “checks and balances” on private health insurance costs and excesses. As you consider this, please remember that security in this world is promised to no man, woman, or child. Life may look good for you right now, but tomorrow you and your children could quickly find yourselves counted among “...the least of these...” All it takes is a lost job, a mortgage foreclosure, a business deal gone bad, a serious car accident, a major illness, and many other unforeseen things. Too many of our neighbors all over this great country of ours have found this out the hard way just over the past 9 months. God bless you and thank you for giving consideration to this important issue."

Chuck Brown

432 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   401 – 432 of 432
Lydia said...

"Hi Lydia,

You don't know what you said that caused Chris to reply to you?

?

Love, L's"

No, I don't. You said I 'spoke' for him. Is there some reason why you don't want to remind me by posting it?

Why do you resort to ad homenim attacks and then end with 'love' L's? Does that actually work for you all the time? Is it supposed to soften or mask the insults and ad hominem attacks?

(Joe, Am too a fundy! I believe in the fundamentals of the Gospel :o)

Lydia said...

Maybe I have misunderstood Lydia. I wouldn't be the first one to do that. I hope she would forgive it if I did. Love, L's

Fri Aug 28, 07:33:00 PM 2009

Nice try, L's. So, many misunderstand me? Is that what you are saying?

Funny you did not give the same benefit of the doubt when saying I spoke for Chris.

Always forgiven. I am just pointing out your very clever ad hominem tactics here. I certainly do not take it personal. Trust me on that.

Christiane said...

Dear LYDIA,

Sometimes we see in another that which we do not see in ourselves.

Love you dearly, L's

Lydia said...

Sometimes we see in another that which we do not see in ourselves.

Love you dearly, L's

Fri Aug 28, 08:21:00 PM 2009

Your vague statements, such as above, can be taken a lot of ways... which is what I think you intend.

DL said...

I must say it is interesting to see two people who I've had prior disagreements with go at each other with the same intensity. :)

Ramesh said...

Bill Moyers Journal > MONEY-DRIVEN MEDICINE
The film MONEY-DRIVEN MEDICINE reveals how a profit-hungry medical-industrial complex has turned health care into a system that squanders millions of dollars on unnecessary tests, unproven and sometimes unwanted procedures and overpriced prescription drugs. Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has teamed up with producers Peter Bull, Chris Matonti, and director Andy Fredericks to produce a film based on Maggie Mahar's powerful book MONEY-DRIVEN MEDICINE.

After covering the health care industry for years as a financial journalist, Mahar wanted to write a book examining the system from the perspective of doctors and patients. The response from the doctors she contacted was overwhelming — five out of six called her back. The film brings their stories to the screen, portraying an industry where corporate profits often get in the way of care
.

Please watch the video.

Lydia said...

Just for Grins,

Name me one socialized health care country that is known for its many medical innovations and life saving drugs.


Canada? Great Britain?

Christiane said...

Thank you THY PEACE,

The video is a humane presentation of the needs for reform. Love, L's

Lydia said...

From the original post:

"An associate of one of my close friends had a teenage son who was recently on travel in Great Britain. Somewhere in London, he had the great misfortune of getting his arm broken. Naturally, they rushed him to the hospital. He had good American health insurance. Was he denied help because he was a foreigner? No. Did he have to wait for hours in a long line for care? No. They treated him right away. He flashed his American health insurance card at them, and they laughed at him. “You don’t need that here,” they said. They fixed him right up and had him on his way to a full recovery in no time. What were the hospital and doctor charges? It is my understanding that they were ZERO."

Yes it cost HIM zero. But if he can afford to travel to Britian, surely he could pay for his medical care while there.


It cost SOMEBODY something. Unless the doctor worked for free. The nurse did not expect to be paid and the folks who made the cast did not expect any wage. Perhaps the companies who supply the hospital all have employees who work for free. Or perhaps they don't but most of their wage goes to health care. Even for traveling Americans.

Lydia said...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/28/senate-president-emergency-control-internet/

This guy wants total power over us

Christiane said...

“Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

Lydia said...

“Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

Sat Aug 29, 01:03:00 PM 2009

Through Caesar?

You think scripture is teaching here to give Caesar money to buy the water to distribute to the thirsty?

(Again, what about those born alive aborted babies that Obama wanted to make sure were denied medical attention? You think he cares about the 'least of these'?)

DL said...

This argument isn't really about health care. It's about power. He who controls "health care" controls everything.

Christiane said...

". . . Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless . . . "

DL said...

"Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold,

Christiane said...

SHARING:


"Jesus makes the passage

from the One who is healer
to the One who is wounded;

from the Man of Compassion
to the Man in need of compassion;

from the One who cries out:

‘If anyone thirsts let him come to Me to drink,’

to the one who cries out:
‘I thirst.’

From announcing the good news to the poor,
Jesus becomes the poor.

He crosses over the boundary line of humanity
which separates those whose needs are satisfied
from those who are broken and cry out in need."

Christian Prophet said...

Government solutions are always immoral. Obama is trying to sell his government takeover of health care by calling it moral and Christian. Exactly the opposite is true. See:
http://constitutionparti.blogspot.com/

Joe Blackmon said...

L's

Your scripture quotations are total red herrings and have zero to do with the discussion. We are told to help the poor (those who cannot help themselves II Thessolonians 3:10--I'm sure I spelled that wrong). We are NO WHERE in scripture told that we have to put the health care system under the governments control. You act as those doing so is a scriptural mandate. Sorry, but as we say in my neck of the woods "That dawg won't hunt".

Christiane said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Christiane said...

Now, now, JOE,

they are Scriptures.
They stand on their own power.

Take them in the context of the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ, they need no other context to make sense.



Yes, Joe, you mispelled (sp?) Thessalonians. But I just probably misspelled (sp?) it too.

How did you like what I quoted under 'SHARING'?
That comes from a favorite author, Jean Vanier, who worked with, and wrote about people with special needs.
This quote also stands on its own without my pitiful commentary. :)

Love, L's

Joe Blackmon said...

The quote on sharing was something that would give warm fuzzies.

Again, the scripture references have nothing to do with anything remotely resembling a mandate for government run health care.

Christiane said...

Ah, JOE,

The Words of the Gospel of Our Lord apply to all times and all peoples in all lands and in all situations. The Gospel is transcendent, unlimited in applications, and represents a Great Light that has come to us to dispel the darkness.

I know the debate is frustrating for you. But trust that some good may come out of it. The important thing is to keep communicating and trying to understand one another.

At heart, I think most people want to do what is right, it's just that they disagree on what that is.
In the meantime, a lot of people are hurting. We might be more comfortable avoiding the issue, but while they suffer, we must keep trying to find a solution for their sake.

Love, L's

Joe Blackmon said...

The Words of the Gospel of Our Lord apply to all times and all peoples in all lands and in all situations.

Simply saying that government run health care is mandated by the gospel does not change that fact that there is no hermenutical reason to interpret those verses as relating to socialized medicine.

"Help those who are poor, sick, and needy" does NOT equal "Turn control of health care over to the government". Being against socialized medicine does NOT equal a lack of compassion for the poor.

Christiane said...

Wait, JOE,

You are a Christian, of this I have no doubt.

You read the Gospels of Our Lord, in their entirety, and you are understanding HIM to be at the center of them. No problem.

Does this influence your thinking?
Of course.

All I'm saying is let the Christ of the Gospels influence you in how you view the plight of those who suffer, and in how you respond to their need.

No two Christians will have the same identical responses. But, together, WE can find a way to
'bring Lazarus in from outside the gate'. I'm fine with it being any solution that gets the job done and is also moral and ethical.


Is the American health care crisis impossible to solve?
No.
Difficult yes, but not impossible. Big difference.

With Christ, when we seek His Will, ALL things are possible
Love, L's

DL said...

Christiane,

Have you ever seen the movie Mystery Men? Some of your comments remind me of the Sphynx from that movie. Perhaps you could quit with the platitudes, sell your computer and give the proceeds to an impoverished person in need of health care? Just trying to be practical.

Christiane said...

Thanks for the compliment, Darby.

There is a special way of working to get underprivileged kids with potential ready to go into an honors program.
It's sort of a prep course, takes about a year of smaller sized classes and special instruction techniques, as well as training in organization skills.

One of the techniques is a special kind of group work where a situation is presented that may have many possible solutions.

Sometimes this is done in 'question' form. It is designed to challenge a child to think on a different level.
It works. Very effective.

A gifted and talented child needs to be able to handle questions that sometimes are 'open-ended': more than one possible solution or answer.
This is called 'divergent thinking'. This is a very special skill for problem-solving.

My Goodness.

Our topic is a pretty big complex problem.

Thank you, Darby. Your comment lets me know that I am making a contribution here after all.
And I didn't even realize that I was using that teaching technique.
I did it instinctively.
Love, L's

DL said...

Christiane,

Too funny. :) Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow.

Christiane said...

Hi DARBY,

Good Sabbath to you also.
Be peaceful.

Love you dearly, L's

Ramesh said...

Speaking of movies ...

I just finished watching this wonderful movie:

One, Two, Three (1961).
Billy Wilder's frenetically paced satire and punch lines, focusing on the problems of Coca-Cola's man in West Berlin. James Cagney, Pamela Tiffin, Horst Buchholz, Arlene Francis, Lilo Pulver, Howard St. John, Red Buttons. Fine performances.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Berlin, after the Second World War: C.R. MacNamara presides over the Coca-Cola branch of Germany. He is working hard and trying his very best to impress the Atlanta headquarters, since he has heard that the European headquarters in London will soon be looking for a new head. Now, Coca-Cola boss Mr. Hazeltine asks MacNamara to take care of his daughter Scarlett, who is going to take a trip to Europe. Scarlett, however, does not behave the way a young respectable girl of her age should: Instead of sightseeing, she goes out until the early morning and has lots of fun. Finally, she falls in love with Otto Piffl, a young man from East Berlin and a flaming Communist, and marries him surprisingly. When MacNamara hears of this, he intrigues quite a bit with the help of his assistant Schlemmer to get Piffl into an East German prison, but when he also gets note of his Boss and wife coming over to visit their daughter in Berlin, he needs to get Piffl out again, convert him to Capitalism and present him as a fine young and noble husband in order to get his London post, and all of that very quick! Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}
.

A wonderful witty and fast paced movie. It somehow frames this health care debate and the direction it is heading.

Joe Blackmon said...

I've never seen the movie Mystery Men even though I'm a comic book nerd, but I picture L's as more like Edna Mode from the Impossibles. :-)

Kendall said...

You may want to check out the following:
http://www.coralridge.org/medialibrary/default.aspx?mediaID=CRH0936_F

Mel and Nancy Skinner said...

Wade,
I just finished reading the following article on health care and thought you mightt be interested in it.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care
Mel Skinner
PS- I agree, I'd like it if you had an occasional post regarding the SBC.

«Oldest ‹Older   401 – 432 of 432   Newer› Newest»