Here in godless Canada (okay, far more secular Canada) we watched with a combination of bewilderment and horror as political conservatives in the United States shut down the government in large part to protest a modest public healthcare plan known as Obamacare. Many of these obstructionists claim to be Christians of the highest order, although they wouldn't call themselves this. The sanctimonious nonsense invoking Jesus angers me, and as many astute Americans have pointed out repeatedly, these so-called leaders seem to have actually forgotten to read their bibles about the poor and those who are sick. Jesuscare is far more radical than Obamacare, but why let Jesus' actual teachings confuse the issue.
Below is a blog item from Ezra Klein which was republished in the Christian Century magazine:
SICK SYSTEM : The United States spends more on health care than any other country, with too little in the way of results to show for it. The U.S. ranks 25th in maternal mortality, 26th in life expectancy, 28th in low birth weight for infants and 31st in infant mortality. Compared to countries with better health outcomes, the U.S. spends far less on social services. This results in more ill health and requires the health-care system to provide social services that should be available elsewhere. Five percent of Americans account for 50 percent of all health-care spending. These are often poor people who are locked into bad habits in bad environments (Ezra Klein's Washington Post blog, September 19).
I know the faults of the Canadian health care system, and God knows I have provided pastoral care to those anxiously waiting the opportunities for essential tests, or therapy, or surgery. At the same time I am so grateful that my elderly mother has been attended to almost immediately when rushed to emerg, and my sister-in-law is not going bankrupt as she undergoes chemotherapy.
Where are you these days in your opinion of our healthcare system? What is your reaction to what has happened south of the border? Is healthcare a right and an expression of faith values?
2 comments:
We all know that healthcare is very costly, and the government is always trying to keep those costs under control. What angers me is looking at other areas in which the government is spending taxpayer money.
An example would be the 61 billion dollars the U.S. spent in 2011 on the production and maintenance of nuclear weapons. And don't get me started(again) on the trillions spent on wars in the middle east.
An efficient and fair healthcare system should always be a priority, so let's divert some of the other spending to this.
I agree with Roger - and we know, from today's news, where some of the Canadian funds can be found !
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