ppt vanderbilt-march2012
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership
Religion and Politics Symposium
March 29, 2012
Presented by:
Rev. Linda Hanna Walling
Faithful Reform in Health Care
The The HEARTHEART in in
Health Care ReformHealth Care Reform
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
The beginning…
Why is a moral reflection
important to seekers of
justice in health care?
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Reason #1: The status quo
Imagine U.S. health
care as an old family
homestead assembled
over the last 150 years.
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Jack Glaser
Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
U.S. Health Care =Chronic Social Injustice
Injustice points to:
relationships that are out of balance, and…
structures that are not aligned with deeply shared values that affirm the common good.
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Jack Glaser
The status quo
Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Challenging
chronic social injustice in U.S. history: end child labor give voting rights to
women enact civil rights for
African Americans
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Library of Congress photos
Overcoming the status quo
Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Overcoming the status quo
The work to address injustice begins in the hearts and minds of those who share a new vision (a moral vision) to… live in right relationships
and build structures that
support new systems
which contribute to the
common good.
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Overcoming the status quo
50 years of such vision… A power grid Phone systems Water systems Interstate highways
. . . all of which contribute
to the common good.
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
MEDICAL
ECONOMIC
MORAL
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Reason #2: The imperatives for reform
Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
The starting point:
“A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care”An interfaith statement of values that informed our thinking about health care reform throughout the process.
A vision signed by nearly 400 faith organizations & thousands of individuals.
A Moral Vision
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
A Moral Vision
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Where does the new law fallshort of our Vision?
What challenges to justice remain?
What still needs to be done?
Seeking justice in health care
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Several questions guide our thinking about justice in health care:
Who is included? Who is still excluded?
Who pays? Who profits? Who profits at the expense of those who cannot pay?
Whose voices are/were heard? Whose are/were not?
Who is accountable? And to whom?
Seeking justice in health care
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Where does the new law fallshort of our Vision? Treatment of immigrants – both
documented & undocumented
Distribution of costs
Continuing disparities in access to providers
On-going protection of health industry lobbyists
Seeking justice in health care
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Religion and Politics
Freedom of religion and religious expression… one of the pillars of our nation’s belief system.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees that the government will not interfere with the practice of religion or impose a “state” religion.
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Religion and Politics
THE TRUTH! People of faith and the faith communities to which they relate have the right to participate in the democratic process and to advocate for the issues important to them.
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Religion and Politics
What we CAN do:
•Direct lobbying
•Grassroots lobbying
•Voter education
•Voter registration
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Religion and Politics
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What we CANNOT do:
•Endorse political candidates •Align with political parties.•Contribute to candidates
or political parties.
Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Religion and Politics
Voices of faith are integral to the work of promoting social justice legislation…
including the continued work for a moral vision for our health care future.
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
NO MORE!
In 2010, we said
NO MORE to a system
of health care that does
not work for everyone…
AND…
We made legislative progress that… may help change how we think about
our health care future, and offers a hope-filled path forward.
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The hope-filled path forward
Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
The hope-filled path forward
People of faith have been at the heart of our country’s health care past as they…
Built hospitals Offered pastoral care Provided charity care Trained health professionals Sponsored prevention and
substance-abuse programs And more.
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Shared vision & affirmation that providing needed health care is first and foremost a people issueand a moral imperative.
The hope-filled path forward
People of faith now are called to help pave the path forward with a…
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Ability to transcend
partisanship & to
dialogue around
shared values on
behalf of the
common good.
The hope-filled path forward
And… to help pave the path forward with our…
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
Action for our health care future
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Faithful Reform in Health Care Copyright 2012 www.faithfulreform.org
What to do… Long-term: Discern what faith
values (not politics
or economic self-interests)
inform your thinking.
Contribute to the transformation
that faithfully answers the question:
Am I my brothers’/sisters’ keeper?
Action for our health care future
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