Health Care Religious Leaders Summit, July 7, 2009

The National Council of Churches is a community of 35 Christian denominations, Protestant and Orthodox.  Together, our churches have some 45 million members in more than 100,000 congregations—which helps make us an important voice in public discussion of an issue like health care.  We are pleased to work closely on many issues, including this one, with the Roman Catholic Church, and to find common cause with neighbors of other faiths.  Just as health care legislation should be bipartisan, so the support of such legislation is appropriately interfaith.

 PICO and SOJOURNERS have joined forces to provide you with this toolkit 

on the current health-care reform debate. It is designed to educate and spark 

discussion and thought about how to live out God’s call for justice in our world. 

This guide includes biblical background, a status update on the state of U.S. 

health care, a look at past attempts at health-care reform, a helpful guide for 

understanding all the terms, options, and key choices in the current debate, a 

look at the role of the faith community and what values can shape our health- 

care decisions, plus a list of what you and your community can do to promote 

health-care reform that serves the common good. We recommend printing out 

the guide for each person in your discussion group and allowing everyone time 

to read before the group meets. The resources here are a starting point for a 

further journey—where will the Spirit lead your group?

 Washington, July 7, 2009 – Religious leaders from across the religious spectrum have joined in a strongly worded declaration that current economic conditions have made health care reform an urgent priority. 

 Joint statement by

Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
National Council of Churches of Christ
PICO National Network
Sojourners
Union of Reform Judaism
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops

As a broad cross-section of religious denominations and organizations, we share a common belief that the true success of comprehensive health care reform legislation hinges on whether it protects and improves health care for the nation’s lowest-income children and families. While each of our denominations and organizations may have additional priorities in health care reform, we all share the priority that the needs of poor and vulnerable people in our communities are protected.

We urge that health care reform legislation currently being written by the Senate and House include the following policies designed to give special priority to meeting the most pressing health care needs of the poor and underserved, ensuring that they receive quality health services.

 *adapted from “A Faith Inspired Vision of Healthcare” created by Faithful Reform in Health Care

We believe together in a health care future that is grounded in the sacred bonds of our common humanity, defined by compassion, especially for those who are most vulnerable, and reflective of faithful stewardship of our abundant health care resources.

As people of faith, inspired by shared values from our sacred texts, we envision a society where each person is afforded health, wholeness, and human dignity.  We will measure legislative proposals by their capacity to move us toward a health care future that is:

·      Inclusive, offering a guarantee of health care for every person regardless of individual circumstances. 

·      Accessible, eliminating all barriers to the care which contributes to our health and wholeness as individuals and as a society.

·      Affordable, ensuring that we use our abundant health care resources effectively, efficiently, and equitably.

·      Accountable, calling for shared individual and institutional responsibility in a system of timely, quality and safe care that treats body, mind and spirit.

"I came that they may have life,
 and have it abundantly."  John 10:10

Health care reform is at a tipping point.  As Congress begins to come to agreements as to the principles guiding legislation, vested interests are attempting to influence what will be considered as off the table.  Yet, there is still time to demonstrate to Congress that Americans are expecting real reform.  Below you will find the next in an on-going series of updates designed to keep you informed and to enable our ability to act together in effective advocacy for policy reform.

 Give a Voice to Children in the Health Care Debate
The recent expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was a strong step forward. But even with that expansion, 5-6 million children will still be uninsured and millions more underinsured. Now is our chance for real reform. Together, we can make sure all children get the health coverage and care they need.

 WASHINGTON – Patients and doctors. Small businesses and multinationals. Retirees, workers and insurance companies. Some have more money and clout. All have something in common when it comes to overhauling health care: a huge stake in the outcome.

 BY GARY GUNDERSON
What is the role of congregations in the face of a possible epidemic?

We never know when a new flu virus may emerge that creates new threats and challenges. Congregations are continually developing webs of trusted relationships which are potentially as important and useful as our medical technologies during a possible epidemic.

 Download CDC podcasts to your desktop and portable music/video player for health information at your convenience and on the go.   www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/index.asp