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What can Presbyterians Do?
The challenge to Presbyterians from
the 214th General Assembly
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| The church must provide
not merely a moral whisper of conscience, but a chorus of
voices raised in a call for immediate action. |
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Adequate Health Care for Everyone
As Presbyterians, we are called to promote
justice and equity, to engage in healing and to treat one another
with compassion. Historic inadequacies in our health care system
and the distribution of services through that system leave millions
without the means to obtain even the most basic health care for
themselves and their families. While continuing escalation of
health care costs affects all of us, the affect on the most vulnerable
is devastating. Individuals on fixed incomes become at greater
risk. People (and their families) who have lost jobs and benefits
due to the economic downturn are at risk. Individuals without
private coverage or who do not qualify for government subsidized
insurance are at greater risk than before because the numbers
of health care providers willing to give treatment to medically
indigent people are decreasing at an alarming rate. Rising co-payments
and deductibles combined with stricter pre-authorizations and
reimbursement caps are affecting health care access for middle-income
persons. |
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Presbyterians and other people of faith cannot
achieve health care justice without legislative action. The
church must provide not merely a moral whisper of conscience,
but a chorus of voices raised in a call for immediate action.
These voices must overcome the special interest groups' rationale.
These voices must speak for those who feel they will not be
heard. These voices must emanate from every church and each
community.
Congregations and individuals can become the
catalysts for change—once they are aware of the increasing
climate of crisis in our health care system, and, once they
have become aware of effective legislative solutions. They will
need to bring together concerned people to create networks of
health care advocates who will share information, lobby their
elected officials, and add their voices to the public policy
debate already begun.
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Where does one begin? The process
is very straightforward. |
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- Interact with your local congregation by raising
the general awareness to the crisis in health care. Be certain
to point out that health care access not only affects the
uninsured, but those insured people who are continuing to
pay more for health care through rising co-pays and deductibles,
stricter pre-authorizations and reimbursement caps. If you
have health care providers in your congregation they might
be willing to share some of their own frustrations with the
health care system. Look for opportunities to inform the members
of your congregation of the crisis in health care. You might:
- Write an article for your congregation's newsletter
or bulletin
- Sponsor a study of scriptures which call the community
of faith to concerns of healing and justice.
- Request that health care issues be the topic of sermon(s).
- Use Moments for Mission in worship.
- Make a presentation to the session.
- Make a presentation to the health/mission/outreach/social
concerns committee.
- Make presentations to existing identity groups in the
congregation.
- Reach beyond your local congregation. After gathering
a few members of your congregation who are interested in health
care reform, extend your coalition to other Presbyterian congregations
by requesting time at presbytery or synod gatherings and leadership
events to both raise awareness and engage others in the coalition
you are building.
- Look for allies among other people of faith. Social
justice issues resonate among reformed tradition faith groups.
Invite their participation. Urge them to educate and enlist
others. Make use of your natural contacts. Find out if an
ecumenical or interfaith organization in your state is already
involved in universal health care advocacy. Establish contact
with the social action and advocacy or health ministries staff
who serve in coordinating structures in your state and national
offices. For each person you add to your coalition, systematically
identify the components of his or her "sphere of influence."
- Identify and collaborate with existing organizations
working for health care access. In many states, groups
are now working to pull people together for health advocacy.
Contact them and find out whether you can work with them.
They may be able to provide you with materials and information
updates for your group. Find out, also, whether there are
local contacts or organizations working in your local community
for universal health care. If not, form a coalition.
- Remember the concept of "enlightened self interest."
Health care costs affect everyone, so rule out no one as you
build your coalition. Brainstorm lists of local organizations
that have any reason to be concerned. Many members of your
congregation also belong to other organizations, unions, neighborhood
groups, etc. Today, employers and health care providers are
beginning to call for reform. Again, make use of contacts
you already have to build your coalition of concerned advocates.
- Inform and alert your community. Look for opportunities
to raise the awareness of your entire community. Use data
from and illustrations of the crisis in health care provided
here and from the resources listed at the end of this section
to plan awareness programs. Form a speaker's bureau from your
coalition and contact civic and business organizations (this
is a great time to utilize "sphere of influence"
information from your coalition members.)
- Communicate your expectations to your elected officials
AND hold them accountable. For universal health care access
to be adequately and comprehensively addressed, legislative
action is necessary. Know the names of your elected officials
and take every opportunity to meet and speak with them. While
many elected officials take seriously the will of their constituents,
they do not actively solicit the opinions of those who have
elected them. Be certain the legislators who represent you
are aware that you expect them to work for health care access
and that you (and your group) will track their voting on legislation
pertaining to this issue.
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