Post Synod Musing #3 Healthcare Resolution

Since Margaret Tompsett will be speaking about the single payer health care legislation that is in congress, I thought I would post the resolution about health care that was passed at Synod.
We were asked to march for universal health care and some people did, here is the story:

Marchers spill into the streets in support of universal health care

Written by Micki Carter
June 30, 2009

Two hundred Synod-goers marched from DeVos Place to City Hall Monday afternoon and gathered in the shadow of Grand Rapids’ signature Calder stabile to demonstrate their commitment to universal health care.

Chanting "Health care now!" they wound their way through downtown streets on a path cleared by city police. Leading the15-minute walk was Mayor George Heartwell, a UCC pastor, and the demonstration organizers, Bert Perry of the Florida Conference and Peter Wells, an Associate Conference Minister from Massachusetts.

At the Calder, marchers were joined by Paul Mayhew, a Baptist minister and Kent County Commissioner who is also a mental-health activist.

"We've got a president who's committed to health care for all, but we have to keep him on task," Mayhew said. "We've got to get on the telephone to our Congressmen and the White House so everyone knows where we stand."

Perry introduced Barbara Baylor, the UCC minister of health care justice, who told the group "the UCC still speaks prophetically for health care for all. . . . Remember that two people die every hour every day due to the lack of health care."

Recalling the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho, Baylor led the marchers in a chant, repeated six times, "All the walls of health-care injustice came down!"

The entire event was staged in about 36 hours. Perry and Wells were chatting on Saturday, and "we couldn't believe that the UCC was meeting in the middle of a city and we weren't out in the streets making a public statement," Perry said.

She added that they immediately identified the issue they wanted to take to the streets of downtown Grand Rapids. "Quality health care should be available to all, and that's the issue on everyone's mind right now."

Perry and Wells recognized that they needed to enlist some local help and they knew just whom to call.

"When the mayor welcomed us to the city, he gave out his cell phone number and said to call him if we needed anything. So I called him," said Perry.

And he answered. "We called the mayor on Saturday," Wells said, "met with him on Sunday and marched with him today."

Here is the article about the resolution that was passed:

Single payer health care gets nod from UCC assembly

Written by Jeff Woodard
June 30, 2009

Citing both specificity and urgency, General Synod 27 passed without amendment Tuesday a resolution "Calling for the Support of H.R. 676 – Single Payer National Health Care Reform to Advance Health Equity for All and to Eliminate Health Disparities."

Mary Beth Cross, a delegate from the Nebraska Conference, said after a unanimous vote out of committee Monday that the time to rally is now. "This is a Gospel-mandated mission of faith for everyone to make sure that universal health care becomes a reality."

Several delegates expressed an urgency for action within the next four months, before another election cycle begins. They concurred that it was crucial for the resolution to support a specific action – H.R. 676, in this case – rather than a general endorsement of universal health care.

The resolution was submitted by the Council on Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM). Key among its proponents has been Barbara Baylor, UCC Minister for Health Care Justice.

"We lift up our (belief) that all persons deserve and must have quality, accessible, affordable health care and related social services – including mental-health service and full accessibility for the disabled," said Baylor.

H.R. 676 (the U.S. National Health Insurance Act) is a bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan to create a single-payer, publicly financed, privately delivered universal health-care program. Its goal is to cover all Americans without charging co-pays or deductibles and guarantees access to the highest quality and most affordable health-care services regardless of employment, ability to pay or pre-existing health conditions.

In a "single payer" system established by the government, one entity handles all billing and payment for health-care services. The current system involves several thousand payers. Reports suggest that administrative waste accounts for roughly 31 percent of the money spent on health care.

I will look for a copy of the resolution and bring copies on Sunday.

Jeannette