From the
desk of Lois Slocum, RN Parish Nurse
National Cover the Uninsured Week is April 27- May 4. With
that in mind, this issue of Shalom is dedicated to
raise awareness of this issue that affects nearly everyone
at sometime in their life. A Health Ministry Task force has
been established to educate the church community regarding
this issue.
Throughout my health career, I have seen advancements in
medicine and technology that are mind boggling. At the
same time, I have seen huge gaps in the access to health
care and have seen people who have fallen into these
cracks. Nearly 47 million Americans are uninsured including
9 million children and many are underinsured. The health
crisis in the United States points us to the reality that
for many in this country we are too late. Some of these
include:
·
The 18,000
people in the United States who die each year prematurely
because they lack access to the health care they needed.
·
The persons
with advanced stages of cancer who did not have access to
medical care when the lump they discovered was treatable.
·
The aging
Americans who agonize over the choice between needed
prescription drugs and food.
·
The families
who struggle in financial ruin because of medical expenses.
(Source –
Universal Health Care Action Network)
Some other facts that are important to consider include the
following;
·
7 million
men and women in our country will lose their insurance due
to downsizing or restructuring of their jobs this year.
·
4 million
people in our country will celebrate their 19th
birthday and unless they are in school they may have
difficulty affording health insurance.
·
About 1
million Pennsylvanians and 217,000 children in Pennsylvania
do not have health insurance.
·
Thirty
million workers between the ages of 18 and 64 earn less than
$9 an hour. Many of them work full time and typically have
no health insurance.
·
Many small
business owners are unable to afford the cost of health
insurance for their employees.
·
Six out of
every ten people in the United States have jobs that offer
health insurance but find that each year their deductibles
and co-payments continue to cost more.
·
There are
many uncounted millions for whom preventative care and a
healthy lifestyle are not an option.
(Source
website –www.voice&vision.org)
John Wesley was deeply concerned about the health care of all
individuals. As stated in the United Methodist Book of
Resolutions: “The concern of the United Methodist Church
for health is rooted in our biblical understanding that
salvation embraces wholeness of body mind and spirit. The
health system of the United States is in need of serious
systemic change. We call for legislation that will provide
universal access and quality health care with effective cost
controls.”
As
elections draw near, this topic will be one of great debate.
While there are no easy answers to this crisis, the number
of uninsured continues to grow steadily. According to the
World Health Organization, the United States is ranked 37th
out of 191 countries according to outcomes and performance.
We are the only industrialized country in the world that
does not provide universal health insurance. I urge you to
pay close attention to this issue and support a plan that
would benefit all Americans.
What Would Jesus Do?
A few weeks ago, Gov. Ed Rendell made the claim that Jesus would back his
health care plan – as would Moses and Mohammed. I don’t
believe that even as a member of the clergy I could claim to
know how Jesus – much less Moses or Mohammed – would respond
to the governor’s proposal. But I think I can speak with
some certainty about what Jesus would do for sick and
vulnerable persons.
Jesus was a healer, and healing was one of the most important aspects of
his ministry. The gospels are replete with stories of Jesus
healing the sick, raising the dead, making the lame walk,
restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He
cared deeply for the spiritual welfare of all. He empowered
others “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Luke
9:2). He never refused to heal someone because they could
not pay, and pre-existing conditions were his specialty. It
seems to me that Jesus would provide for the health and
well-being of all persons.
While the governor’s “Prescription for Pennsylvania” has been
touted as a universal health-care proposal, it is not. Its
goals of reducing the number of uninsured Pennsylvanians and
reducing costs are admirable, but there is in reality no
guarantee of coverage for all Pennsylvanians.
In fact, I
have some concern that one provision may have the unintended
effect of increasing the number of uninsured if some
businesses choose to pay a 3 percent payroll tax to the
state in lieu of providing coverage – one provision
contained in House Bill 700, the legislation that embodies
the governor’s proposal.
As healing was a priority for Jesus, so is health-care the top
priority for the Pennsylvania Council of Churches. The
council’s position is that comprehensive health care must be
available to all persons – regardless of ability to
pay. A comprehensive system should be: 1) universal; 2)
continuous; 3) affordable to individuals and families; 4)
affordable and sustainable for society; and 5) supportive of
high-quality care that is effective, efficient, safe,
timely, patient-centered and equitable.
A basic analysis indicates that the “Prescription for
Pennsylvania” doesn’t meet the first two criteria, and it’s
unclear how well it would meet the others.
There is a better option.
The council has chosen to endorse Senate Bill 300, the Family and Business
Health Security Act, and it companion bill in the House, HB
1660. These bills appear to provide the best vehicle for
addressing the characteristics we have identified as
important for any health-care plan.
The Family and Business Health Security Act is a single-payer
plan that would provide uniform, comprehensive coverage for
all Pennsylvanians while maintaining the freedom to choose
providers, with fair contributions from all businesses and
individuals. There would be no deductibles or co-pays, and
it would cover a comprehensive range of services, including
preventive care, dental, vision and mental-health services.
Because it
would be a single-payer system, there would be efficiencies
that could never be achieved under the patchwork of insurers
and plans that currently exist. Costs for providing
services would be reduced because it would eliminate much of
the overhead that exists for insurers (advertising,
administration of multiple plans, etc.) and providers
(claims processing personnel dealing with multiple plans,
providers seeking pre-approvals, etc.).
Because everyone would be covered, there would be greater incentive to
seek preventive care or address medical problems before they
reach a crisis point. Care provided in a doctor’s office at
an early stage when a problem is most manageable is less
costly than care sought in an emergency room when an ailment
has reached an advanced stage.
The House recently passed a resolution to create a
health-care task force to examine the cost of health
insurance and to assess the quality of health care for
Pennsylvanians, considering all potential funding sources
with an eye toward providing health-insurance coverage for
all. I hope and pray that in the 120 days allotted, this
group will look beyond the governor’s proposal to consider
the overwhelming merits of the Family and Business Health
Security Act as the way to provide the most comprehensive
and cost-effective coverage for all Pennsylvanians.
While I can’t claim that Jesus would endorse this
legislation, I suspect that he would be happy to know that
we are working, as he did, to provide health and healing for
everyone. I doubt that he would settle for anything less.
This editorial was in the
July 22, 2008 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and is
reprinted with the permission of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
and the Rev. Sandra L. Strauss. Rev. Sandra L. Strauss is
the director of public advocacy for the Pennsylvania Council
of Churches (s.strauss@pachurches.org).
Legislation Status
Federal
level
·
SCHIP State
Children’s Health Insurance Program (H.R. 3963) was
authorized through March 21, 2009.
·
House
Resolution 676 (or the National Health Insurance Act) -
This bill calls for affordable single payer national
health insurance for all. It is currently in subcommittee
and has 70 co-sponsors.
State Level
There are two major health proposals for Pennsylvania.
·
SB 1137 an
alternative of the governor’s proposal has passed in the
House but not yet in the Senate. (It may face an uncertain
future in the Senate according to the Post-Gazette.)
·
House Bill
1660 (the House version of the Family and Business Health
Security Act) was introduced June 28. The Senate version
was introduced in March. Both provide comprehensive single
payer health care coverage for all citizens of
Pennsylvania. This legislation is a resubmission of last
year’s bills, which were introduced but never voted on in
the 2005-2006 legislative session.
Personal
Experience's with Healthcare Coverage
Three members of the Health Insurance Task Force at Christ
United Methodist Church share their personal stories with
today’s healthcare coverage.
By: Sally
Graham Ernst
I am a retired employee of the Pennsylvania Healthcare
system. When I retired, I had an excellent health insurance
system which was handled by the state. This year we were
apprised that our health care system was being changed and
we were given the choice of several health care systems.
While these systems were all well-known, the question for me
was, what changes will be ahead? Since the commercial
systems seem to change yearly, will this happen to those
persons formerly employed by the state and will the cost be
covered by the state or the former employee? Also, will we
lose benefits given to us by the state?
______________________
By: Gretchen
Woeste
I am one person; the same person, from birth to death, in
sickness and in health. But I have not been able to have
the same health insurance or even some health insurance
throughout my life. I married after college and went to an
Air Force base with my husband; two children were born in
the hospital there. After discharge, he was employed by a
small company with no benefits, so as a young family, we did
not have health insurance for six years. When my husband
became ill, he went to a Veteran’s hospital where he died.
I was employed by a school district with health insurance
for five years which was discontinued for the two years I
was in graduate school. Then I worked for a different
school district and then a third school district, changing
health insurers each time and with a waiting period until it
became effective. Upon remarriage, I was insured by my
husband’s employer and then when we retired, by Medicare and
a supplement partially funded by his employer. My health
insurance has been affected by being a woman, a wife, a
mother, an employee and a retiree. I believe that every
person, male or female, child or adult, should have the
security of access to quality affordable health care
throughout life. Although I have not always had health
insurance, I am very grateful to have been blessed with good
health for all these years (so far). Thanks be to God! Many
others are not so fortunate.
_________________________
By: Nancy
Phillips
“She didn’t
cooperate”, the unit nurse at the nursing home told me, as I
collected by mother’s belongings after her death. “She
didn’t cooperate?” The incredulity and insensitivity of the
statement still upsets me after twelve years. What did this
person know of the struggle my beautiful, intelligent,
dynamic mother had waged against depression, heart disease,
crippling rheumatoid arthritis and finally severe dementia
at age ninety? What did she know of the years of devoted
and loving care my father and I had given her? “She didn’t
cooperate?”
Without any
experience in the health care field, I jumped at the chance
to join the Christ Church Health Insurance Task Force to
address and work for solutions to our terribly inadequate
health insurance coverage in this country today, where
millions of people have no coverage or are in a plan layered
in a bureaucratic labyrinth. I come as well as an advocate
for more quality and compassionate care for the elderly in
nursing facilities. I come to this Task Force with some
twenty years of witnessing the steady deterioration in the
quality of life for my dear parents as they struggled with
many hospitalizations, nursing facilities, therapies, and a
constant increase in prescription medications. Because my
father owned a small business, he had no medical insurance
when he retired and received very little compensation from
what was available at the time. I witnessed the steady loss
of dignity for my parents as all their hopes and dreams for
a peaceful, happy retirement dissolved in a fight to
maintain the very unpretentious lifestyle they treasured.
All of this, compounded by the uncaring, often cavalier
treatment they experienced in medical facilities, has set me
on a path and purpose to do something, in some way, to wipe
away the injustices in a broken health care system.
Health
Care
There are
community health clinics which provide health care on a
sliding scale for those who do not have health insurance or
meet income guidelines. Some may require proof of income
and have a waiting period.
North Side
Christian Health Care Center
620 East Ohio
Street
Pittsburgh PA
15212
412-321-4001
www.nschc.org
Fee is between $10-$50 and there is a 6 week or longer waiting
period for new patients to be seen.
East
Liberty Family Health Care Center
117 Negley
Avenue
Pittsburgh,
PA 15206
(412)661-2802
Catholic
Charities
212 9th
Street
Pittsburgh,
PA 15222
412-456-6911
www.ccpgh.org
Offer free
medical and dental care for those who are not eligible for
Medicaid or Medicare or those whose income does not exceed
200% of the federal poverty level (example: Income for
individual can not exceed $20,424 and for a family of 4 it
can not exceed $41,304). Must be screened for eligibility
and have proof of income. Hours are Monday-Friday 9AM-4PM
Dental Care
Pitt
Dental School
3501 Terrace
Ave.
Pittsburgh,
PA 15216
412-648-8616
Provides
dental care at lower fees.
Alma
Illery
7227 Hamilton
Ave.
Pittsburgh,
PA 15208
412-244-4700
Booked
through July and has a sliding scale fee.
Manchester
Dental Clinic
441 South
Main Street
Pittsburgh,
PA
412-922-5636
Offers a sliding scale fee
and is open Monday 11am-7pm and Tues 9am-5pm.
Birmingham
Free Clinic
54 S. Ninth
Street
Pittsburgh,
PA
412-481-7900
ext 281
Walk in
clinic, first come, first served,
Mon 6-
9PM, Wed 1-4PM and Sat 10-1PM
Counseling
The
Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute (PPI) provides counseling at
Christ United Methodist Church. Most insurance are accepted
but for those without insurance fees are based on a sliding
scale. For those in Allegheny County who are not able to
pay, there are county founds available to cover the cost.
412- 661-1239
Consumer Health Coalition
The
Consumer Health Coalition is an advocacy organization that
enrolls at risk consumers in public health insurance
programs. They
will assist with the application process and help individuals
determine if they are eligible for public insurance. They
may also be able to provide resources for affordable
insurance. For information call, 412-456-1877, ext 200.
CHIP (Children’s
Health
Insurance Program)
All
uninsured children and teens not eligible for Medical
Assistance have access to health insurance. It does not
matter how much money your family makes. Many will get it
free and others at low cost. (For example at family of 4
with income $42,400 annually will have no premiums.) There
are thousands of children who qualify to receive benefits
but are not enrolled because their families do not know they
are eligible.
To request an application, call 1-800-986-KIDS. You may apply
online.
Ongoing Events
Blood
Pressure Screening- May 6
after each morning service and 10-10:30 AM during June,
July, and August in the library.
Depression Support Group –Thursday May 3, 7:30 - 9 PM
–
Keeping Yourself Safe: Developing a Crisis Plan, speaker
Kathe Nizik -sponsored by St. Clair Hospital This is the
first Thursday of every month.
Cancer
Connection and Coping- May 23, at 7PM
& the 4th
Wednesday of every month.
Grief
Support – tentatively scheduled for May 14 and June 11 at 7
PM
in Room B-113. Please call the church office to confirm these
dates and for future dates.
Stretch
and Strengthening Exercise – 9-10 AM every Monday and
Thursday
in Room
G-104. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a mat.
