Echoing an earlier letter to members of Congress from three bishops, officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed disappointment Oct. 14 that the Senate Finance Committee passed its version of health reform legislation without resolving problems related to abortion funding, conscience rights, affordability and legal immigrants.
The health reform plan proposed by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., called America's Healthy Future Act of 2009, passed the Finance Committee in a 14-9 vote, becoming the fifth version to be approved by a congressional committee this year.
The USCCB officials repeated the bishops' statement in an Oct. 8 letter that they would be forced to oppose the final health care reform bill if it does not resolve problems in several key areas.
Specifically, they all said the final plan must include policies against abortion funding and in support of conscience rights; make health care "affordable and available to the poor and vulnerable"; and meet the needs of legal immigrants and their families.
The letter was signed by Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, who chair the USCCB committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Pro-Life Activities and Migration, respectively.
Kathy Saile, director of the USCCB Office of Domestic Social Development, said after the committee vote that she remained hopeful that "problematic provisions" in the various health reform proposals, particularly the Baucus bill, "can be worked out."
"But time is running short and if the provisions are not fixed, the bishops have been clear that they will have no choice but to oppose a final bill," she added.
"The stated purpose of pursuing health care reform was to provide those without health care coverage access to quality and affordable health care," Saile said. "There is real doubt that this bill will achieve that goal."
Kevin Appleby, USCCB director of migration and refugee policy, said the Baucus bill also "falls well short" of the stated goal of health reform to "reduce significantly the number of uninsured."
"As passed out of the Finance Committee, millions of legal immigrants and their families would be left outside the system, dependent on emergency rooms for their primary care," he added.
Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said none of the committee-passed health reform plans "is consistent with long-standing and widely supported federal policies on abortion and conscience rights."
"Contrary to recent misleading comments from some sources, this (Baucus bill) and other health care reform bills appropriate their own funds outside the scope of the annual Labor/HHS appropriations bills, and so are not covered by the Hyde amendment that prevents those bills from funding abortion coverage," he added. "This legislation needs its own provision against such funding."
The Baucus bill does not include a public insurance option, which some health care reform advocates have pushed for. The 10-year, $829 billion bill would limit co-payments and deductibles and would help low-income families purchase coverage. It would set up exchanges that would allow people to shop for health insurance and would make most Americans buy some kind of coverage.
The only Republican on the finance committee to vote for the measure was Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine.
In the U.S. House lawmakers were working to finalize their own health care reform proposal, which includes a public plan. Action on the floor of both the House and Senate was expected in the coming weeks. Whatever legislation is passed by each chamber would then go to a conference committee, where differences in the two measures would be hammered out.
In separate statements released Oct. 13, the Catholic bishops of California and Pennsylvania echoed the concerns about reform bills raised in the letter to Congress by the USCCB committee chairmen about abortion, conscience protection, immigrants and affordability.
In the statement from the California Catholic Conference, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, conference president, noted that the U.S. bishops have been calling for universal health care for more than three decades.
"And it appears we are now closer to the reality than ever before. For that we are grateful," he said. "However, the bills that have either passed out of committee or are poised to do so have failed to adequately protect human life."
Bishop Blaire called on Catholics and all people of good will to join the bishops in urging senators and members of Congress "to protect basic human life and dignity in any national health care plan as they hammer out the details of this far-reaching and needed reform."
In a statement released by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the bishops there said that "health care is not just another issue for the church or for a healthy society. It is a fundamental issue. Health care is a critical component of the Catholic Church's ministry."
The health care reform debate "presents our country with a unique opportunity to improve the health care system for all, especially those who lack affordable coverage and decent care. We believe that health care reform legislation can be drafted to truly protect human life and dignity," they said.
"Catholics have been leading proponents of health care reform for many years in America. If a final health care reform bill does not have respect for life at all stages of development, respect for consciences, affordability and inclusion of all of society, the bishops will be forced to oppose it," they said. "Therefore, we pray that critical shortcomings in the current proposals will be remedied."
The full text of the Oct. 8 letter signed by Cardinal Rigali and Bishops Murphy and Wester follows:
Dear Member of Congress:
On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we are writing to express our disappointment that progress has not been made on the three priority criteria for health care reform that we have conveyed previously to Congress. In fact, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a conscience rights amendment accepted earlier by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
If final legislation does not meet our principles, we will have no choice but to oppose the bill. We remain committed to working with the Administration,
Congressional leadership, and our allies to produce final health reform legislation that will reflect our principles.
We continue to urge you to:
1. Exclude mandated coverage for abortion, and incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights. No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. It is essential that the legislation clearly apply to this new program longstanding and widely supported federal restrictions on abortion funding and mandates, and protections for rights of conscience. No current bill meets this test.
2. Adopt measures that protect and improve people's health care. Reform should make quality health care affordable and accessible to everyone, particularly those who are vulnerable and those who live at or near the poverty level.
3. Include effective measures to safeguard the health of immigrants, their children and all of society. Ensure that legal immigrants and their family members have comprehensive, affordable, and timely access to health care coverage. Maintain an adequate safety net for those who remain uncovered.
We sincerely hope that the legislation will not fall short of our criteria. However, we remain apprehensive when amendments protecting freedom of conscience and ensuring no taxpayer money for abortion are defeated in committee votes. If acceptable language in these areas cannot be found, we will have to oppose the health care bill vigorously.
Catholic moral tradition teaches that health care is a basic human right, essential to protecting human life and dignity. Much-needed reform of our health care system must be pursued in ways that serve the life and dignity of all, never in ways that undermine or violate these fundamental values. We will work tirelessly to remedy these central problems and help pass real reform that clearly protects the life, dignity and health of all. |