Moral Vision for Our Healthcare Future

Faithful Reform in Healthcare, a  project to help people of faith address healthcare reform, has produced A Moral Vision for Our Healthcare Future, a reflection on the new healthcare legislation in the light of faith. The six-page document can be accessed by clicking here.

Read Full Post »

Mercy in Cedar Rapids opens ‘green’ medical building

Check out the article here.

Read Full Post »

Health Care Reform Needs Your Voice

by Jeanne Christensen, RSM, WMW Justice Team

As our Members of Congress return home for August recess, they are being met by the voices of many interest groups trying to influence the course of health reform legislation.  We have all been inundated with information and misinformation about health care reform.  What is true, what is not?  We have seen unruly, and sometimes violent, behavior at town hall meetings.

As Congress continues to consider healthcare reform legislation, powerful interests that benefit from the current system are spending millions of dollars to disseminate misinformation and create fear in the public mind about health care reform. Some of these voices are industry lobbyists who represent large, corporate pharmaceutical companies and/or insurance providers, all of whom want to protect their own particular piece of the health care pie.  Others are activists looking out for their particular cause or issue.  And still others are attempting to simply disrupt the conversation and stop anything constructive from happening.

Amidst this noise, it can be difficult to remember that this debate is about our health, and that our elected officials are charged with listening to, and looking out for, the millions of everyday Americans who need the security of knowing that they and their families can afford to get the quality health care they need when they need it.   It is critical that lawmakers hear that their constituents want reform legislation.

Your message to your legislator may be as simple as “I support health care reform so that all Americans can have access to adequate health care.”  You may want to add a statement that reflects you personal concerns such as:

• “I also believe that no federal dollars should be used to pay for abortions and that the conscience rights of all be respected.”
• “I also believe that health care reform should be patient-centered and designed to address health needs at all stages of life, from conception to natural death.”
• “I also believe that health care must be compassionate, improve quality of life address the needs of the whole person and respects the person’s own decisions about care.”

Some opponents of reform will stop at nothing.   Those who support reform can not afford to be passive, complacent or expect that things will turn out OK whether they pitch in or not.

If you support health care reform, you are urged to consider:

• We can’t afford to delete the emails that ask us to make a call without taking action.
• We can’t afford to just make the call ourselves without forwarding the email to someone we know with a personal request that they take the time to make the call too.
• We can’t afford to complain about negative letters to the editor without writing one ourselves.
• We need to sign up friends, co-workers, family to be part of our rapid response team – people who agree to contact their legislators when we ask them too.

Each of us must redouble our efforts to promote health care reform that makes quality, affordable health care for all a reality.    We know lives are at stake — 22,000 people die yearly because they don’t have health insurance and 14,000 people lose their health insurance every day.  These numbers will only continue to grow. We must have health care reform that includes an option (for example, single payer or a public, government-supported option) that ensures every American can have affordable and accessible health care.

The easiest way to find your legislator, if you don’t have his/her email, phone number, or office location is to visit http://www.visi.com/juan/congress, click on your state and select your legislator.  If you don’t know who your legislators are, contact Sr. Karen Donahue at kdonahue@mercywmw.org.    If you have questions or want additional information on health care reform, contact Sr. Jeanne Christensen at jchristensen@mercywmw.org.

Sources:  PICO National Network, Michigan Universal Health Care Access Network, NETWORK – National Catholic Social Justice Lobby,

Read Full Post »