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HEALTH CARE SOCIAL STATMENTS - PRESBYTERIAN
Health Care Issues
http://www.pcusa.org/phewa/phn.htm
http://www.pcusa.org/health/usa/policies/index.htm
http://www.pcusa.org/health/usa/policies/behalf-uninsured.htm
Health and healing were central in the ministry and work of Jesus and the early church. The miracles of Jesus were not only signs of the rule of God in human affairs but also a demonstration of God's concern for health, healing, and wholeness within persons and the communities in which they live and have their being.
The challenge is for "...congregations, governing bodies, and agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to become vigorous and conscious promoters of health in all aspects in the life of the church, active advocates and agents of health in social order, and responsible stewards of both health and health resources..."
Whereas the United States has the most expensive health care system in the world in terms of absolute costs, per capita costs, and percentage of gross domestic product (GDP); Whereas despite being first in spending, the World Health Organization has ranked the United States 37th among all nations in terms of meeting the needs of its people; Whereas 43 million Americans, including 10 million children, are uninsured; Whereas tens of millions more Americans are inadequately insured; Whereas racial, income, and ethnic disparities in access to care threaten communities across the country, particularly communities of color; Whereas health care costs continue to increase, jeopardizing the health security of working families and small businesses; Whereas dollars that could be spent on health care are being used for administrative costs instead of patient needs; Whereas the current health care system too often puts the bottom line ahead of patient care and threatens safety net providers who treat the uninsured and poorly insured; and Whereas any health care reform must ensure that health care providers and practitioners are able to provide patients with the quality care they need:
Now, therefore, Congress shall guarantee that every citizen regardless of income, age, or employment or health status, has access to health care that—
1. is affordable to individuals and families, businesses and taxpayers and that removes financial barriers to needed care;
2. is as cost efficient as possible, spending the maximum amount of dollars on direct patient care;
3. provides comprehensive benefits, including benefits for mental health and long term care services;
4. promotes prevention and early intervention;
5. includes parity for mental health and other services;
6. eliminates disparities in access to quality health care;
7. addresses the needs of people with special health care needs and underserved populations in rural and urban areas;
8. promotes quality and better health outcomes;
9. addresses the need to have adequate numbers of qualified health care caregivers, practitioners, and providers to guarantee timely access to quality care;
10. provides adequate and timely payments in order to guarantee access to providers;
11. fosters a strong network of health care facilities, including safety net providers;
12. ensures continuity of coverage and continuity of care;
13. maximizes consumer choice of health care providers and practitioners; and
14. is easy for patients, providers and practitioners to use and reduces paperwork.
God's intention of health (shalom), for the earth and its people, and Jesus' promise of abundant life (health, healing, and restoration to wholeness in body, mind, and spirit) are central dimensions of the faith we profess and the vocation to which we are called as Christians. It leads the list in the order of service through which we participate in God's activity through the church's life for others by:
a. healing and reconciling and binding up wounds,
b. ministering to the ... poor and sick, the lonely, and the powerless,
c. engaging in the struggle to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger, and injustice,
d. giving of itself and its substance to ... those who suffer,
e. sharing with Christ in the establishing of his just, peaceable, and loving rule in the world (Book of Order, G-3.0300c(3)(a)-(e)).
Time and time again, we hear that the healing ministry of our Lord is not reserved for the wealthy few, but is intended for all of God's people. For instance, in Isaiah, the Lord proclaimed: "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed ... for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands" (Isa. 65:19-20, 22b, NRSV).
Mental Illness
http://www.pcusa.org/health/usa/policies/thechurch_and_mental_illness.htm
Laws of social responsibility and hospitality are clearly stated in the Old Testament and relate to those whose illnesses have made them strangers within our gates. Our Judaeo-Christian understanding sees that "God's holy purpose is for humankind to be of worth and be well; to be in health and nurturing health for one another."
During his life, Jesus not only proclaimed the good news of God's favor to all but also demonstrated God's love through his ministry and obedience. His ministry of healing very often touched those seriously troubled in mind and spirit. We are called into communion with our Creator as members of the body of Christ. By God's grace, this community of believers heals, nourishes, and enables wholeness just as by God's grace each of us helps to heal, nourish and make whole the community of believers. We deny the healing God when we overlook or turn away from persons suffering from mental illness and their families, failing to recognize the fullness of their grace, to acknowledge them as ones for whom God also wills abundant life.
The purpose of treatment for the ill is to provide the restorative and support measures that will enable the person to be an independent, functioning and productive human being to the fullest extent possible.
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