Health Care Reform

State Health Care Reform in 2010:  Protecting Consumers from Catastrophic Medical Debt -- LD 1620

Consumers for Affordable Health Care (CAHC) and Maine Voices for Coverage* have released a new report, "False Security: Health Insurance That Doesn't Pay When You Need It Most" that explains why lifetime and annual caps on health insurance are a detriment to Maine people and our economy.  Maine Council of Churches volunteer and CAHC Board member Mitchell Stein is co-author of the report with Joe Ditre, Executive Director of CAHC.

Read CAHC's report on lifetime/annual caps

House Majority Whip Seth Berry has introduced (LD 1620) "An Act to Protect Health Care Consumers from Catastrophic Medical Debt." 

Jill Saxby spoke for MCC at a press conference at the State House on January 21, 2010 sponsored by Consumers for Affordable Health Care

CAHC press conf Jan 21, 2010 -- lifetime caps.doc

Prepare the Way, Light the Way.

Dozens of people from faith communities in southern and western Maine gathered with Maine Council of Churches in Portland on December 8 to pray for a way forward on health care reform. Prayers were led by clergy from the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Unitarian Universalist Association; as well as Executive Director Rev. Jill Job Saxby, representing MCC's 9 denominations.

"We’re here to light our candles for the idea that health care is a human right, not just a commodity to be bought and sold," Saxby said. Read her full remarks here.

Participants also signed postcards to Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, which were delivered to their Portland offices across the street.

Read the Maine Sunday Telegram column on health care reform by Executive Director Rev. Jill Saxby, Episcopal Bishop Rt. Rev. Steven Lane and United Church of Christ Conference Minister Rev. David Gaewski here.

As people of faith, we envision a society where each person is afforded health, wholeness, and human dignity. That vision embraces a system of health care that is inclusive... accessible... affordable... and accountable.

Vision ~ Inclusive: Health care is a shared responsibility that is grounded in our common humanity. In the bonds of our human family, we are created to be equal. We are guided by a divine will to treat each person with dignity and to live together as an inclusive community. Affirming our commitment to the common good, we acknowledge our enduring responsibility to care for one another. As we recognize that society is whole only when we care for the most vulnerable among us, we are led to discern the human right to health care and wholeness. Therefore, we are called to act with compassion by sharing our abundant health care resources with everyone.

Vision ~ Affordable: Health care must contribute to the common good by being affordable for individuals, families and society as a whole. We believe that in the sacred act of creation we are endowed with the talents, wisdom and abundant resources necessary to meet the needs of one another, including the health care needs of all. Therefore, in our calling to be faithful stewards, we understand our responsibility to use our health care resources effectively, to administer them efficiently, and to distribute them with equity.

Vision ~ Accessible: All persons should have access to health services that provide necessary care and contribute to wellness. We believe humanity is sacred and that all persons should benefit from those actions which contribute to our health and wholeness. Therefore, we are called to act with justice and love, to ensure that all of us have access to the health care we need in order to live out the fullness of our potential both as individuals and as contributing members of our society. We must work together to identify and overcome all barriers to and disparities in such care.

Vision ~ Accountable: Our health care system must be accountable, offering a quality, equitable and sustainable means of keeping us healthy as individuals and as a community. We believe that as spiritual and sacred vessels, we are responsible for the care of our bodies to the best of our ability and for the care of one another regardless of individual circumstances. Therefore, individuals, families, governments, businesses, and the faith community are called to work in partnership for a system that ensures fully-informed, timely, quality and safe care that treats body, mind and spirit.

As the debate on health care reform continues, faith communities have many opportunities to raise our voices and our values to urge a health care system that is inclusive, accessible, affordable, and accountable.

Here are 2 helpful resources from Faithful Reform in Health Care looking at current proposals:

How the Public Insurance Option Measures Up to A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care

How Legislative Proposals Measure Up to A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care

More resources for worship, prayer, education, and advocacy - including interfaith, ecumenical, and denominational resources - are all available through Faithful Reform in Health Care at www.faithfulreform.org.

More information that may be of specific interest to seniors is available here through AARP.

Consumers for Affordable Health Care offers a new on-line guide with information about health care coverage options in Maine -- what programs are out there and who they serve.   
http://www.mainecahc.org/guide.htm

Interfaith Week of Prayer for Health Care for All: June 19-26
Maine Council of Churches joined with partners across the country to pray for health care that is inclusive, accessible, affordable, and accountable. MCC Executive Director Rev. Jill Saxby and Associate Director Eric C. Smith joined Rev. Canon Carolyn Coleman from the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland, and James Corbett and Rev. Mark Wendorf of Mercy Hospital on June 18 to celebrate the beginning of this week of prayer. Read Eric's remarks. Read MCC Board Member Rev. Elsa Peters' church blog entry about this week.

Rev. Saxby and Rev. Wendorf also joined members of Mercy's Pastoral Care Staff, including Rev. Kenneth Wish and Sister Patrica Moody, RSM,  in an interfaith prayer service on Monday, June 22 at Our Lady of Mercy Chapel at Mercy's Fore River Campus.

Maine Council of Churches has been a member of Consumers for Affordable Health Care for more than 20 years.  To learn more about CAHC, go to:  http://www.mainecahc.org/coalition/default.htm

MCC is a member of the Leadership Team for a health care reform project called "Maine Voices for Coverage."  This is a grant-funded, statewide effort to bring the views of every day people to policy-makers to ensure all Mainers have access to quality, affordable health care that is there when they need it.  Other Leadership Team members are Consumers for Affordable Health Care, Maine Equal Justice Partners, Maine People's Resource Center, Maine Center for Economic Policy, the American Cancer Society and Maine AFL-CIO. 

This 3 year project, funded by a grant to Consumers for Affordable Health Care from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is intended to promote the voice of the consumer and to ensure that health care reform in Maine is guided by the following principles:

Health care in Maine must be:

1.  Guaranteed to all.

2.  Affordable and available for everyone.

3.  Comprehensive and high-quality to meet people's needs.

4.  Simple to use for the consumer and provider.

5.  Flexible, providing the patient with a choice of provider.

6.  Paid for with shared responsibility from individuals and businesses.

7.  Transparent and accountable to Maine people.   

Get involved in Health Care Reform in Maine!

Use this link to download a fillable pdf volunteer form:

965_080930_Volunteer_Pledge_Form_CVC__fillable_distributed[1].pdf

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Information, resources, opportunities to get involved -- from Maine Voices for Coverage:   http://www.mainecahc.org/foundation/Transparencyreport.htm

To learn more about Consumers Voices for Coverage, a national effort to strengthen state-based health care advocacy networks, go to: http://www.voicesforcoverage.org/