Dialogue Concerning Universal Healthcare

I'm having an interesting discussion with an old friend over universal healthcare. I am in favor and he is opposed. I thought I would share some of this because it is very interesting.

ME:

Friend, I would be very interested in knowing how you would deal with the following situation: I have a woman in my church who is dying of cancer, but she cannot afford the treatments. How do you propose this problem should be dealt with?

FRIEND:

Greg, I know your in the middle of a low income area and you provide a vital role in that neighborhood. But the government just is not the answer for the poor. People like you are the answer. People who give out of the goodness of their heart. It is the responsibility of the church to provide for the poor, not the government. How is it just to forcibly take income from people and redistribute it to other people? When I was on staff everyone always was shocked how low welfare payments are. I constantly had to remind people that people on welfare also receive food stamps, Medicaid, child care and rent subsidies. When you factor these things in, the welfare they receive is just spending $. As for the person you are talking about with cancer you should look at a few things. First you should look at the government programs that are available. But if the person is not elderly and has no children then they are not going to qualify for Medicaid. There might be a program for those that are uninsurable. To qualify for that people typically have to demonstrate that they have been turned down for insurance due to their medical condition. The last thing I would recommend is to check with local hospitals about their charity care policies. Almost all hospitals have programs that offer free or reduced care for the poor. This is especially true of not-for-profit hospitals that have to demonstrate that status for their tax exemption. Anyway, that's my recommendation.

ME:

Friend, thanks for the suggestions. I agree that ultimately the poor do not need more money thrown at them. They need good role models and a revival of their values. This will only happen if Christians are willing to leave their lives of comfort and join in incarnational ministry among the poor. I have no issues with my fellow inner city missionaries who are fiscally conservative. I do, however, have major issues with fiscal conservatives who do not build relationships with the poor. Christ clearly teaches us that this must be a top priority if we are to be his followers.

I will respectfully disagree with you on matters of policy. Back when you knew me in high school, I was in total agreement with you. My experiences among the poor have changed my perspective (we are all shaped by our context). I now see the systemic nature of poverty and believe it requires a systemic solution. The church simply does not have the resources to be a safety net for the poor. The church can't even pay me a full time salary, let alone pay for someone's huge medical bill. I will look into the hospital charities that you mention, but we constantly find people like this turned away because of how expensive the procedure is and because of their pre-existing conditions. The woman I refer to has fallen through the cracks and does not quality for medicare or other government assistance programs. It is because I live in solidarity with the poor that I advocate for universal healthcare. Our nation can afford it. It's a shame we won't provide such a basic need for those who are on the margins of our society. As clearly indicated by the Old Testament, God judges the goodness of a society based upon how well it cares for those who cannot care for themselves -- the widow, the orphan, the alien, and the poor.

I fear sometimes that our compassion for the needy has been trumped by a non-Biblical economic and political ideology. There are places where the Bible clearly parts with Adam Smith. And I will side with the Bible.

Grace and Peace,
Greg