November 9, 2009
Written by Gregg Brekke

Following the passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act by the U.S. House of Representatives, UCC General Minister and President the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black issued a statement saying the legislation "moves us one step further toward a health care system that will work well for everyone."

The UCC's 27th General Synod in 2009 passed a resolution called "An Urgent Call For Advocacy in Support of Healthcare For All, as in H.R. 676." The resolution urges the government to adopt a single-payer option, thought its language recognized this was not the likely path forward for health care reform.

Justice advocates note that unequal access to health care most often negatively affects women, people of color, the poor and those with disabilities. Legal citizen status, advanced age and geographic location are also contributing factors that statistically compromise the quality and accessibility of health care.

"If what results from health care reform in the U.S. is that more families are covered, we will see reduced levels of poverty," said Black. "If the public debates on heath care result in closing the gender gaps that have been exposed and the disparities and inequities in health care experienced by communities of color, then we have achieved something."

Despite enthusiasm over the legislation's passage, some are disheartened by what they see as a major compromise in the final format of the bill. The Stupak-Pitts amendment, approved by a 240-194 vote, blocks any health insurance policy in the public option from covering abortion in the completed House version of the legislation.

UCC Minister and Co-Team Leader for the Cleveland-based Team, the Rev. Loey Powell, reiterated the UCC's 40-year history of support for reproductive health care and said of the amendment, "We join [partner faith] groups in expressing our disappointment that the House bowed to pressure exerted at the last minute from anti-abortion lobbyists ... Once again women's health and well-being have been compromised in the halls of Congress."

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice issued a statement prior to the vote on the revisions, saying, "We come together to condemn the passage of the Stupak amendment which ... will effectively deny coverage for abortion services to women covered by the new federal health care plan. We are appalled that religious leaders intervened to impose their specific religious doctrine into health care reform, not recognizing that women must have the right to apply or reject the principles of their own faith in making the decision as to whether or not abortion is appropriate in their specific circumstances."

President Obama, who made health care reform a key issue in his election platform, issued a statement commending the House for their vote and urged the Senate to act quickly to pass its version of health reform legislation. "I am absolutely confident it will [approve a plan]," he said, "and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year."

The Senate is slated to discuss health care reform in the coming weeks, though Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada expressed uncertainty over whether a bill can be recommended for a vote before the end of the 2009 legislative session.

More information on the UCC's health justice advocacy can be found at http://www.ucc.org/justice/health/.

United Church of Christ News Service