J. Herbert Nelson speaks on SCOTUS and Health Care

This morning, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell. This case could take away access to health care for 8 million people and cause premiums to spike for millions more. A decision in favor of the petitioner, King, could eliminate tax credits to buy health coverage through the Affordable Care Act in approximately three dozen states. The resulting chaos would wreak havoc on the health care system, placing the most vulnerable people in our communities at risk.

The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, PC(USA) Director for Public Witness, joined with several other faith leaders, patients, families, nurses, doctors, healthcare providers, and other allies to support health care subsides for millions of people in the U.S. and to affirm that health care is a human right, an essential component of human dignity and just community.

Nelson said, "We advocate so vigorously for affordable health care, because we know that sickness in public places is a barrier to building community."

To read the press statement about this morning's events, click here. 

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II in support of accessible healthcare for all, along with fellow heads of faith offices, Rabbi Lori Koffman (National Council of Jewish Women), Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe (United Method Church), Dr. Sayyid Syeed (Islamic Society of North America), Sandy Sorenson (United Church of Christ), and Sr. Simone Campbell (NETWORK).

J. Herbert Nelson's remarks, as prepared:

Benevolent, Beneficent, and Bountiful Creator, we humble ourselves before You as we ask that our prayers be heard and answered. We come before you as Ecumenical and Interfaith religious leaders appealing for guidance that only you can give. As we stand with millions of people today who could lose their health insurance by a ruling of this Supreme Court of our country, we petition You to exercise Your Supreme Authority that calls us here today to stand for the least of these among us.

We all can attest that in your mercy, you have reached down and provided a balm of healing amid our need. Therefore, our presence here today is a reminder to others that you are still in the business of hope and healing. Therefore, our advocacy for affordable healthcare is an affirmation of your Sovereign love for all of humanity.

We pray in the name of the Sovereign Creator, who chooses love over the law while giving grace in all things. Amen

Good morning. I am Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly has supported legislative efforts for affordable healthcare in Washington, DC for more than sixty years. They approved a resolution for advocacy on behalf of the uninsured. Despite our historic advocacy for a single payer system, we were excited in 2010 when the United States Congress passed the Affordable Care Act. We felt a move one stop closer to our nation realizing that the scriptures that we follow calls each of us to care for the least of these among us.

We advocate so vigorously for affordable healthcare, because we know that sickness in public places is a barrier to building community. Jesus teaches us through many biblical encounters that healing provides stability to the body; wholeness to the mind; and sustenance to the Spirit. When people are walking around unstable; lacking mental clarity and Spiritually disconnected it impacts households, institutions and whole communities.

In my travels, I have heard the testimonies of self employed professionals who are thankful that their premiums are significantly lower, because their pre-existing conditions are no longer held against them. On the other hand, I have heard from the poor who work every day and could not previously afford insurance for themselves or their children, giving thanks for the opportunity to know that they did not have to go to work sick or send their children to school while self diagnosing their conditions, because they could now afford a doctor’s care. When sick people are all around us, who cannot afford a balm of healing, we all are impacted.

I know these judges are deliberating over interpretations of the law, but let’s cut to the chase. This is an issue of national security, because my faith tells me that righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34a). This court has an opportunity to render a supreme judgment if they can recognize in their deliberations that highest law that they can render is one that is based in love.

Let affordable healthcare remain affordable for the estimated 8 million persons who stand to lose their insurance.

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J. Herbert Nelson to speak in support of health care for millions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 3, 2015                                                          For more information, contact:

Rev. Cynthia Abrams,

Director of Health and Wholeness

General Board of Church & Society

w: (202) 488-5636 c: (703) 586-7005

cabrams@umc-gbcs.org

                         

King v. Burwell:

Interfaith Press Conference and Prayer Vigil
at the U.S. Supreme Court

Faith leaders pray for health care access for all people  

An interfaith press conference and prayer vigil with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith leaders will be held on the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 4 at 10:15 a.m. These leaders will speak to the moral imperative to ensure access to health care for all people and the importance of health care from a faith perspective.

U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in King v. Burwell on March 4.This case potentially impacts millions of men, women, children, and families who have access to affordable and quality health care through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

WHO:

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II, Director for Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Rabbi Lori Koffman, National Council of Jewish Women

Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary for the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society

Dr. Sayyid Syeed, Islamic Society of North America 

Sandy Sorenson, Director of the United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

Sr. Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK

WHERE: 

In front of the U.S. Supreme Court

WHAT: 

Faith Leaders Press Conference and Prayer Vigil for health care. Faith leaders will address the importance of subsidies and ensuring that everyone has access to health care. Speakers will be available for interviews. 

WHEN: 

March 4 from 10:15 – 10:30 a.m. 

For more information, contact Michelle C. Whittaker at (202) 488-5632 or (202) 701-8420.

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Its task is to advocate, and help the church to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of the Presbyterian General Assembly.

The National Council of Jewish Women is a volunteer organization that has been at the forefront of social change for over a century — championing the needs of women, children, and families — while courageously taking a progressive stance on such issues as child welfare, women’s rights, and reproductive freedom.

The General Board of Church & Society is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. Prime responsibility of the board is to seek implementation of the Social Principles and other policy statements on Christian social concerns of the General Conference, the denomination's highest policy-making body.

The Islamic Society of North America fosters the development of the Muslim community, interfaith

relations, civic engagement, and better understanding of Islam.

The Justice and Witness Ministries is the justice and advocacy arm of the United Church of Christ. The Washington office responds to God's commandments to do justice and seek peace through public policy advocacy and witness.

NETWORK, a Catholic leader in the global movement for justice and peace, educates, lobbies, and organizes for economic and social transformation. NETWORK is a progressive voice within the Catholic community that has been influencing Congress in favor of peace and justice for more than 40 years. 

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Urge Congress to Extend Children's Health Insurance

Congress will be back in Washington for their “lame duck” session soon and they have a LOT to do before the end of the year. First things first, let's ask them to attend to the needs of our children!

Join other faith leaders and advocates who are coming together to urge Congress to pass for a four-year extension to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) during the Lame Duck session. This extension will stabilize the program and ensure that states can continue to operate their programs without interruption.

What is CHIP?

Since its inception in the 1990s, The Children's Health Insurance Program has provided health coverage to nearly eight million children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to afford private coverage. This vital legislation has cut the uninsured rate for children in half. Funding for this program is set to expire next year on the assumption that most beneficiaries will be able to get subsidized private coverage through the insurance marketplaces, which some speculate may not be possible.  We need to allow more time for the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) to fill in the coverage gaps and ensure that all these kids have coverage before cutting off the program.

Why do we need such a long extension right now?

States are currently in the process of developing their 2015 budgets and negotiating contracts with insurers and providers. They need to know that the federal support for CHIP will exist beyond 2015.  If funding is not stabilized, states will have to make drastic program cuts through enrollment caps, benefit reductions, reductions in eligibility, or provider payments. The millions of children enrolled in CHIP would be at risk and many will have no other coverage option available to them.

Speak out on behalf of vulnerable children everywhere. Ask Congress to protect CHIP this year!

What does the PC(USA) say?

In 2002, the 214^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) advocated for adequate funding for CHIP so that health coverage would be available for all children, urged the expansion of CHIP to cover parents and caregivers (because we know kids are more like to see a doctor if their caregivers also have coverage), and finally urged Congress to “recognize the importance of universal health care – that is, equal, accessible, affordable, and high-quality health care for all persons residing in our nation.”

Learn more about CHIP from the Children’s Defense Fund.

The PC(USA) recently joined a broad-spectrum of 1,200 organizations in making this request to Congress. Join us as we move into the lame duck session.

Response to Criticism of J. Herbert Nelson's Hobby Lobby Statement

The PC(USA) Office of Public Witness (OPW) is encouraged by the diverse dialogue that is occurring in response to the Reverend J. Herbert Nelson’s statement with respect to the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling. The OPW gives thanks for the words of support as well as the expressions of disagreement.  It is through dialogue and engagement that we may begin to break down the walls of ideology and see Christ in and through each other.

Much of the criticism of Rev. Nelson’s statement has been to point out his lack of specificity as to the particular contraceptives challenged in the Hobby Lobby case. Access to reproductive health care is an essential human right affirmed by Presbyterian General Assemblies, many of which have reaffirmed the historic Presbyterian commitment to accessible, comprehensive health care that should be equal, accessible, affordable, and high quality for all persons. (214^th General Assembly, Minutes, 2002, p.634)

But more than a ruling related to available contraception, Rev. Nelson and the Office of Public Witness wished to express in his statement a concern about religious liberty. The Hobby Lobby decision establishes a precedent that sets the conscience of employers over and above the conscience of workers. Further, the decision grants first amendment liberties to for-profit corporations, which, no matter how closely they are held, are not people.  Allowing corporations, whose primary function is profit, the freedom to impose religious values on employees is fundamentally un-American and contrary to the values upon which this nation was founded.

As always, the Office of Public Witness represents the actions approved by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly and its predecessor bodies, which have affirmed that God Alone is Lord of Conscience and that individuals must make decisions in personal and public life that are consistent with their own values, without seeking to coerce others. National policy that allows employers and the owners of corporations to coerce employees with respect to their moral decisions undermines our churches and the nation.

The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, is Director for Public Witness in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC.

Giving Health Reform a Chance to Work: An Unbound Publication

Giving Health Reform a Chance to Work: 

Increasing Access to Health and Wellness

By Leslie Woods

This article was published by Justice Unbound as part of a three week-long series on health care.  See this week's articles here.

While most of the recent coverage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” has been negative, these news stories fail to tell a complete story. There is no doubt the Obama Administration has made some serious errors in the rollout and initial implementation of Obamacare. Nevertheless, the ACA has already made a huge difference in the lives of people who now have access to health coverage due to important changes in the health care law. And now, in the final months of the first open enrollment session of the new exchanges, even more people will see better – and hopefully less expensive – access to coverage.

Why does the Church care about Obamacare?

For more than 60 years, Presbyterian General Assemblies have been calling for reform of the U.S. health system, urging the establishment of a national medical plan that will ensure universal health coverage for all persons residing in the United States. In 1988, the Assembly wrote, “Jesus’ command to love our neighbor requires persons with plentiful health resources both to comprehend the condition of those persons without basic health care and to share the means to health.” In other words, it is our collective responsibility as a community, and as a nation, to make sure that all people have access to the means to good health – that is, access to quality, affordable, comprehensive health coverage. 

As yesterday’s article pointed out, the PC(USA) has supported the implementation of a national medical plan, or a single-payer system (i.e. Medicare for all) for many years, and the ACA still falls short of this ideal. However, as the Office of Public Witness engaged in the health care reform debate in 2009-10, we saw some significant opportunities. To be sure, we encountered some disappointments and missed opportunities, but we also witnessed some important steps toward increasing access to health coverage, especially for low-income families and adults without children. We saw sensible, preventative services and wellness care become available for millions of people who previously could only access health services through the Emergency Room.

We also saw many more opportunities to make reforms that move us in the right direction. Certainly, the PC(USA)’s long-standing commitment to health, wellness, and universality of coverage would have moved us away from the intervention of private, for-profit insurance companies, had that been a political possibility. However, decades of Presbyterian witness lead us to believe that the ACA is making improvements. Furthermore, we urge its critics give it a chance to work.

So, what does the ACA do?

Well, right now, and most in the public eye, the new “exchanges” have gone live, and Americans are purchasing health insurance, many with the aid of need-based subsidies from the federal government. Despite a botched initial rollout, many anecdotes suggest that people are now having positive experiences using healthcare.gov or their own states’ systems. So far, 3.3 million people have used the exchange to obtain coverage, and the enrollment period has not yet ended. Enroll America has some great resources, as well as a subsidy calculator, and of course, healthcare.gov is the place to go to enroll.

But insurance has never really been the faith community’s concern. As the PC(USA) and its partners have engaged the health care debate, our primary and immediate concern has always been people – their health, their care, and the shalom that God intends for all of us. Access to health insurance is a means to an end, and that “end” is making sure that more people can live healthy, whole, safe lives, free from the fear that the next illness will mean not only personal tragedy but also bankruptcy.

Ultimately, our concern has been people’s access to care. And despite its shortcomings, the ACA’s reforms are making health care more accessible for more people.

Certain reforms went into effect even before the new exchange launch that has been making headlines. In many ways, what seem like the small changes have been some of the greatest accomplishments of this law. For example:

• Young adults may now stay on their parents’ health plan up to the age of 26, regardless of being a student, residence, or martial status.
• Insurers may no longer discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions, and starting in 2014, adults have the same protections.
•  Women can no longer be charged higher coverage rates due to their gender or health status.
•  Insurance companies can no longer cancel coverage when someone becomes sick or because of an unintentional mistake, nor can insurers limit the amount of care for essential health benefits in a lifetime.

Some of the more substantial changes have also turned out to be huge victories:

• States have the option to expand Medicaid benefits to individuals and families who have incomes less than 133% of the federal poverty level.

o   This is crucial, as many low-income people, especially those without children, have no access to health coverage at all. 

o   To date, six million people have gained access to health coverage through Medicaid expansion.

o   Twenty-three states have elected to expand Medicaid coverage (with four additional states implementing alternative expansions).

o   Campaigns are ongoing in many of the remaining states to urge state legislatures to take action.

• Older adults receive a 52% discount on covered medications while in the Medicare Part D prescription coverage “donut hole,” and the donut hole will close in 2020.
• All standard insurance plans will now cover preventative health services like check-ups, vaccinations, and cancer screenings without a copay or deductible.
• Private insurance plans are now required to cover essential services like maternity and newborn care, pediatric services including dental and vision, mental health and substance abuse treatment, prescription drugs, lab work, rehabilitative and habilitative services, emergency care, and hospitalization.

This may be a long list of wonky policy changes, but they all boil down to one thing – access to more care for more people.

Where do we go from here?

There is no question – this is not the final chapter in health care reform. Many new reforms and policy changes are still required to improve access and quality, to reduce costs, and most importantly, to make sure that all people living in this nation have access to the care they need to live healthy, whole lives. For those who were disappointed that the ACA was not a single-payer system, or even that it did not include a public option, take heart. We know from experience that the implementation of major new government programs will inevitably lead to more discussion, tweaks, improvements, and ongoing policy debates. The conversation will continue. After we’ve lived into the new current system, we’ll have to figure out how to improve it… again.

Sabrina Slater, Intern for Public Witness, contributed to this article.

Click here for the rest of this week's Unbound articles on Health Care.

Author Bios:

Leslie Woods has served as Representative for Domestic Poverty and Environmental Issues for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness (OPW) since January 2007.  In this capacity, she advocates on behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on matters related to economic inequality, poverty, hunger, health, human needs, federal budget, climate change, energy and other environmental issues. She also coordinates the Internship and Fellowship programs for Public Witness Programs, the OPW’s service learning opportunities for young adults. Leslie holds a Master of Arts in Religion with a concentration in Hebrew Bible, magna cum laude, from Yale Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and French, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Randolph-Macon College. Leslie is the proud mother of two little boys – Daniel and Joshua.


Sabrina Slater currently serves as an intern for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness.  Currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, Sabrina is interning while spending a semester in DC with the National Capital Semester for Seminarians program hosted at Wesley Theological Seminary.  Her advocacy focus includes domestic poverty, the relationship between poverty and violence, human trafficking, women and relationship violence.  Having enjoyed a career in higher education prior to beginning the ordination process  Sabrina is committed to honest dialogue and hearing peoples' voices and stories.  Sabrina holds a Master's in Education with focus on general and special education from Wagner College and a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science and Health & Human Development from Lehigh University.