Love your neighbor as yourself, Support Health Care Reform

As the nation prepares for the big roll out of outreach and education for the new health care reform state insurance exchanges, the

fact can’t be obscured that actively advocating for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in direct opposition to the holy scripture of many religious faiths to care for your neighbor as you would want to be cared for.

You shall not take vengeance of bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18 NRSV

The health care system leans toward profit not people

The United States has constructed a health care system that centers on private enterprise profit over the well being of our citizens.

• Hospitals are under pressure to generate revenue for expensive diagnostic imaging machines.
• Pharmaceutical companies mercilessly advertise specialty drugs to recoup the cost of development in the U.S. when the prices are capped in other countries.
• Physician groups look for ways to shuttle as many patients through the office as possible while legally padding office procedure codes to generate extra reimbursements.
• Insurance companies screen those most in need of care by denying coverage or increasing premiums to account for perceived risk the applicant may represent.

The health care system is broken

All of these maneuvers and revenue pressures work to ensure escalating healthcare costs and insurance premiums.

• We can’t go back to a broken system.
• We must put our people first in the system.
• Working to extend the pass card of health care to all Americans, which by default is health insurance, is a modern day corner stone of taking care of our neighbors.

Stop the war on women’s health.

America infected with Arab Spring?

In America we are not given to large protest of any sort. Life in the U.S. isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty darn good. Yet we have seen more organic street rallies and protests in these last couple of years. Perhaps we have been emboldened by the protests of the Arab Spring: citizens filling the streets calling for government change.

Allegiance to people, not paper

I have had mixed emotions over the recent Egyptian military aided revolution that removed President Morsi from office. It is particularly painful to watch an elected government removed by another government institution. But the genesis of the latest revolution was the citizens flooding the Tahrir square calling for change. While I don’t discount the possibility that the Egyptian military may have manipulated the country’s economy to stoke the fires of popular protest, the military did not force people into the street. Egyptians walked into the streets in protest of their own free will.

Any nation’s constitution should be respected and revered. However, the will of the people must always trump a piece of paper, especially if that paper abridges individual freedoms and inalienable rights.

Are we on the eve of a revolution in the U.S.?

Similar to many Arab revolutions, Americans have found it necessary to protest what they see as failed government policies after the start of the crushing recession of 2008. This started with the Occupy Wall Street movement protesting predatory and manipulative practices of the bank and investment industries on Wall Street. Next we had massive rallies in Michigan over Governor Walker’s push to balance the states budget on the back of government employees and unions. The Texas legislative Senate was the scene of massive protests over laws restricting abortion and access to family planning clinics. And most recently we have witnessed peaceful demonstrations over the Trayvon Martin verdict.

American citizens have realized that the only way to be heard against the flood of campaign cash unleashed by the Citizens United decision is to take to the streets.

The appeals to fear and greed

We need similar rallies in support of the Affordable Care Act. The opposition is waging a war against health care reform by appealing not to the goodness of caring for others but upon irrational fears of personal security and money. We hear such phrases as “Government take over of health care“, “Death Panels“, “We can’t afford reform“. All these arguments appeal to an individual’s fear of providing the basic necessities for their families. The aim is to adulterate public opinion with specious arguments while offering no solutions to the problem.

Families can’t afford not to have health insurance

The sad fact is that many families have had their security undermined by a health care system out of reach because of access and escalating costs. The need for affordable health insurance has become one of the the largest impediments to the entrepreneurial spirit in America. There are scores of people that would trade in their corporate or government jobs for less pay just to pursue their passion or independent career path. Unfortunately, they or a family member can’t get health insurance on the open market or it is just too darn expensive.

You can’t taste my ice cream insurance

There are also numerous working adults and households that just don’t have access to affordable health insurance even though they work for a large company. To argue these folks shouldn’t have access to high quality health care and health insurance because it might somehow degrade the availability of care for those with existing insurance plans is immoral.

America, owned by corporations

The mere fact that the Affordable Care Act is seen as unprecedented and revolutionary underscores the reality that large corporate interests such as hospitals, doctor groups, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies have developed a strangle hold around our federal and state governments. These folks along with conservative SuperPACs will be pouring money into campaigns to discredit health care reform.

Opponents want to shut down government to prevent health care reform

Normal everyday Americans that will benefit from the ACA will surely lose against the moneyed special interests if we do not take to the streets and let our voices be heard. Some in congress are proposing that they attempt to shut down the government in an attempt to stop the reform.

Love your neighbor, support health care reform

We are on the eve of a revolution. If we fail to embrace the energy sparked by protests against government and corporate influence that have occurred across the U.S. in the last couple of years we will forever be set on a path of subservience to profits before people. This is the call to action. Let your voice be heard. Show up at town hall meetings in support of the ACA. Talk to your neighbors and take to the streets if necessary. Health care reform is about loving your neighbor as yourself.