Pittsburgh overture calls for single payer health care for all Americans

by Darcy Hawk, minister member of Pittsburgh Presbytery, and Witherspoon Society treasurer        [5-26-08] 

The current system of rationing health care has had a devastating effect on our nation – in lost earning potential, in the acute care that is necessitated because of delayed treatment, and in skyrocketing costs for poorer returns. The Pittsburgh Presbytery local chapter of the Presbyterian Health Education and Welfare Association crafted an overture to the upcoming General Assembly urging the denomination to study and lobby for single payer health care for all Americans. Several sessions studied the proposed overture and agreed to bring it to the presbytery.  

Arguments against passage of this overture generally cited instances where the British, French, or Canadian systems have catastrophically failed individuals. These arguments overlook the social benefits of universal health care and obscure the devastation our current system visits on people of limited means, through bankruptcies, denial of service for the underinsured, and the reluctance of people to seek treatment because of the cost.  

Furthermore, unlike other national health systems, this overture recommends leaving intact the private sector providers, physicians and hospitals. A national insurance pool brings low risk people into the system to balance costs. It removes the burden of healthcare from business, reducing labor costs. In terms of Christian ethics it provides for a fairer, more equitable sharing of health care resources. I am pleased to report that our Presbytery passed the overture, making it available for consideration in San Jose this summer.

The Rev. Dr. Christian T. Iosso, on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy which he staffs, has sent a letter to an e-list of interested people around the church, detailing the reports that ACSWP will be submitting to the Assembly, a little more fully than we have done previously. He has graciously agreed for us to share it here.   He begins:

Dear Friends interested in Social Justice and Social Witness Policy:

At tax time, with a recession taking hold – in the midst of a very exciting political primary season—with two wars grinding on – and before Pentecost, I write to share with you information on a number of items going to this year’s General Assembly and on several other matters. We use links rather than attachments and I urge you to look at the resources made available, especially posted copies of the policies themselves. The core of all this effort is the conviction that the Church must speak and act on matters of grave social concern as part of our witness to Jesus Christ.

ACSWP (the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy) is bringing a number of reports to the Assembly. These have been called for by previous Assemblies; they are in continuity with a long history of Presbyterian statements on social issues; and they have gone through a detailed study and consultation process that is outlined toward the end of the Manual of the General Assembly, under the title "Forming Social Policy."

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1.  We want to share our concerns and views with commissioners and others attending the Assembly, and with anyone else who is watching from afar.  While some of our groups focus on one area of concern and others are more general in their focus, we are all committed to the wholeness of our world, which we understand to involve justice and peace and the well-being of all people; and we are committed to the wholeness and health of our Church and its witness and service in the world.

2.  We want to get to know you better and serve your concerns and needs in any way we can.  So we will invite you to share your views with us and with one another with any email responses or questions.  We'll invite your responses with links here and there, and we'll try to post those that seem to contribute to our conversations.  Just send a note now, and tell us how we can be helpful!