So this has been on my mind and on my heart a lot lately...especially with the campaign stuff going on and all the talk about Obama-care and Romney-care and the Republican candidates vowing to repeal the Obama health-care bill.
It's pretty evident, even to me, that there's a problem with healthcare in our nation. It seems to be a highly polarizing issue, no matter what age group, political party, or even religious point of view you come from. Some of the questions that I hear debated include:
Should everyone have access to healthcare, whether or not they can pay for it?
Should only those who have a lot of money (the "rich" or the "1%") foot the bill for everyone else?
Should Uncle Sam pay for everything?
Should only those who are able to get insurance through their employers or some other means (paying out of pocket if self-employed, or through a government program) be able to get basic things like well-child visits, regular checkups and routine tests (i.e. pap smears, mamograms, bloodwork, etc.) on a regular basis?
What about specialists? How can someone with no insurance (or very limited insurance) be able to handle specialist care? Or long-term hospitalization?
I know people who are unemployed (or who are employed and, like myself, don't get insurance through their employer). I know that I, personally, don't go to the doctor as often as perhaps I should because of the cost involved - and I have insurance (that I've paid for). How much more difficult must it be for those who have no insurance to maintain even a modicum of preventative health care when a basic checkup at the doctor is billed at around $100 or more!
Our son recently broke his arm. After looking at all of the bills from the ER, the orthopedic office that took care of his cast and after care, and everything, we would have been out over $3500 if we had NOT had insurance. For a typical middle-to-low class family, that kind of money is not something that is just laying around!
Now, I consider myself a conservative politically and socially. I admit, I listen to Rush and Hannity and occasionally Glenn Beck. However, I am growing tired of their constant rhetoric about healthcare and insurance - it seems all they typically do is complain about how Obama is ruining the system by having the government take it over. I don't hear a lot of solutions from them (or anyone else on the political "right") other than "let's repeal Obamacare". Romney is even saying that, yet his state's healthcare bill is essentially a carbon copy of Obamacare - or maybe Obamacare is a carbon copy of Romney's bill. Either way, I would love to hear solutions - solutions that don't break the bank, that don't force the country into even more debt, and that don't pigeon-hole doctors into practicing according to even more government regulations (as if they don't have enough already!).
Enter the church. What is the church doing about any of this? SHOULD the church be doing something about it? Or is that just a social gospel pipe dream that isn't part of a proper evangelical Christian perspective?
Scripture is pretty clear in its instructions to the church about caring for the poor...but somewhere along the way, the government stepped in with its various safety nets - social security, medicare / medicaid, welfare, food stamps, etc. IF the church had been doing its job appropriately (i.e. caring for the poor, the people in the church giving appropriately, etc.) there would not have been a need for many of the government programs that are currently in place and sucking the life out of our economy.
Should the church get into the healthcare business? That's not what I am advocating. I just think it bears consideration that the people who should be the most sensitive to the needs of the poor and less fortunate, the people who are called to care for them and reach out to them with the love of Christ, are often those most vocal against the government programs that are trying to care for these same folks, yet they themselves do not reach out, contribute, or make an effort to help solve the problem.
Our pastor once said that if everyone who attended our church simply tithed (that is, gave 10% of their income), the church would never have a budget problem and would have a significant surplus of funds with which to reach out and help the community. Statistics show that the typical church-goer gives between 2 and 4% of his income.
Why is it that the non-government agencies and organizations that are trying to help the poor with food, shelter, and medical care are constantly scrambling for funds? Bekah worked for a clinic in downtown Grand Rapids for the uninsured. A ministry, supported by donations and grants with very few paid staff and many Christian doctors and other medical professionals donating their time and energy. Yet, the organization was struggling to be able to raise funds to expand its services - while they constantly had a waiting list for people wanting to become new patients because they had lost their insurance.
If those same conservatives crying for the end of Obamacare could maybe look at organizations like Health Intervention Services as solutions to the problem, and could put their money where their mouth is, perhaps we would see less of a need for government regulation and control of healthcare.
I don't have answers - probably just a whole lot more questions, especially now that Bekah's involved in the medical profession - but it sure seems like the system is broken. I would love to see some productive thought coming from conservatives in positions to be able to make a difference. I would love to hear how we can fix healthcare - WITHOUT a government takeover.
One final thought...Bekah came home recently and told me about a presentation she saw in one of her med school classes. The presentation discussed the average life expectancy in developed nations, and pointed out that the United States is actually BEHIND many of the deloped nations in the world in life expectancy - including Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, and a couple more of the European nations. All of whom have universal healthcare in some form or another. And all of whom are NOT necessarily considered Christian nations. We constantly hear horror stories about "death panels" and people waiting months (or years) for surgery or specialist care in these situations, but the statistics show that somehow, what those other nations are doing is working better than our system right now. And the US is supposed to be the world's largest "Christian" nation. Something is wrong with that picture...
I would love to hear thoughts on this issue. I believe that it is important...especially in light of what's happening with the upcoming elections.
Until next time...
You're looking for solutions to the health care system. I think the last "s" is the key. Literally hundreds, if not thousands, of things need to change significantly. Let me suggest what I believe is the biggest issue...litigation.
ReplyDeleteOver inflated lawsuits filed by greedy lawyers that are asked for by people who want to get rich without earning it are driving extreme excesses in costs. The reason why this isn't being talked about is because most of our lawmakers and executive officials have made their millions because of the system. They are those lawyers. If not, their campaigns are funded by them.
This problem can only be fixed by people being elected to public office who have lives outside of the courtroom and politics. It needs to happen from top to bottom. This brings me to a quandary. I don't see how that will ever happen because too many people vote who don't understand anything about the people for whom they're voting. Solutions to this I'd love to hear.
Other major factors for the health care crisis include: the unhealthy lifestyle of our country, illegal immigration, a corrupt pharmaceutical industry, and health bureaucracy (largely a response to litigation). None of these issues is simple to solve.
On the church side. Many of the hospitals in our country have their roots in the Church. The separation between church and hospital has slowly progressed over time. Much of the separation is the result of the Church believing that it only needs to minister to the spiritual needs of people. Thankfully there are still several organizaitons who facilitate opportunities for the church to meet physical needs as well. Covenant Community Care (www.covenantcommunitycare.org) is an excellent example of this.