BeaconBeacon
Opinion

As members of the middle class whose parents are in jobs which provide, at minimum, sufficient health insurance, we have not personally had to experience the hardships and suffering which are often by-products of a lack of health insurance. Unfortunately, this is not true of everyone. Many people are uninsured due to some family situation, having been laid off, or simply because they cannot afford insurance while simultaneously paying a mortgage, paying to eat daily, and other essentials for survival. As Christians, we believe that making sure every person gets his/her basic human needs met with affordable healthcare is a biblical mandate. We, as a nation, have failed in this regard. With health care reform, we feel as Christians foremost and then as Americans, America should meet this biblical obligation.

We realize that there are others who, while they may not disagree with the aforementioned biblical mandate, disagree with reform. To this, we seek to make our case. Many of the plan’s opponents are concerned about issues such as cost, morality and quality of care.

These concerns, while important to consider, are easily rebutted by the notion that these three vital issues are not mutually exclusive, but rather, they are sewn into the same moral fabric that makes the garment of the crucified Christ. Far be it for us to suggest that the Obama plan meets all the requirements. Yet, we hasten to add, it’s better to attempt than to leave the status quo as it is. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Obama assures us that health reform won’t add a dime to the already deep and disastrous national debt. While we are aware that politicians renege on promises, we feel obligated to give our commander-in-chief the benefit of the doubt. With that said, we, like our conservative counterparts, are concerned about the price of healthcare. However, our value is attached not to “dollars and cents”, but to the high cost of our Christian morality. Jesus teaches, “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me…” (Matthew 25:36). We ask you NW, do we not serve a radical Christ for those who are on the margins of society? Therefore, we view healthcare reform as equally radical, but nonetheless a moral responsibility that we all should shoulder.

Supporters of reform include AARP, AMA and Mayo Clinic. Recently, the Mayo Clinic stated its firm commitment to healthcare reform and urges us to follow suit. An ad on July 14th sponsored by AARP, AMA, et al, reads, “The president has a plan to lower costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. It’s time to act!” We too, add our voice of support.

If you’re not currently covered by health insurance, under the Obama plan you have the option of public insurance, which at its core guarantees basic needs without exorbitant costs. The public option does not undermine the ability to choose; rather, it is an extension of that principle concept. With over 45 million Americans uninsured, including eight million children, we cannot afford inaction. We feel it is appropriate to part with these words, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” –MLK Jr. No reform equals injustice!