{"id":17846,"date":"2017-01-18T20:47:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-18T20:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/us-bishops-health-care-should-be-truly-universal-affordable-63861\/"},"modified":"2017-01-18T20:47:00","modified_gmt":"2017-01-18T20:47:00","slug":"us-bishops-health-care-should-be-truly-universal-affordable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2017\/01\/us-bishops-health-care-should-be-truly-universal-affordable\/","title":{"rendered":"US bishops: Health care should be truly universal, affordable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Washington D.C., Jan 18, 2017 \/ 01:47 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Any changes to health care law under the new administration should not abandon the principal of genuinely affordable health care for everyone, said the U.S. bishops in a letter to Congress.<\/p>\n

In American policy, they said, \u201cwe must not see health care as a luxury, but as a necessary building block to help individuals and families thrive and contribute to the good of the community and the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize that the law has brought about important gains in coverage, and those gains should be protected,\u201d Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida said in a Jan. 18 letter to members of Congress.<\/p>\n

He wrote in his role as chair of the U.S. bishops\u2019 Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.<\/p>\n

For the U.S. bishops, any repeal of key provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act should not take place \u201cwithout the concurrent passage of a replacement plan that ensures access to adequate health care for the millions of people who now rely upon it for their wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

President-elect Donald Trump, in a press conference last week, pressed for a speedy repeal of the health care legislation commonly known as Obamacare. He has also spoken of replacing the legislation with his own proposals that promise \u201cinsurance for everybody\u201d and \u201cmuch lower deductibles,\u201d CNN reports.<\/p>\n

However, some Congressional Republicans have voiced concern about any vote that would end major parts of the 2010 law that covers 20 million people without providing an alternative, creating widespread disruptions.<\/p>\n

The U.S. bishops emphasized that health care reform \u201cshould be truly universal and it should be genuinely affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery person is made in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity,\u201d Bishop Dewane\u2019s letter said. \u201cA just community strives to see and address the needs of those who struggle on its margins, and each segment of society is called to build toward a common good that creates and maintains conditions aimed at true human flourishing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cited Pope John XXIII\u2019s 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris, which spoke of the right to life and the right \u201cto the means necessary for the proper development of life, particularly food, clothing, shelter, medical care, rest, and, finally, the necessary social services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Francis echoed these words in May 7, 2016 remarks to a doctors\u2019 group: \u201cHealth, indeed, is not a consumer good, but a universal right which means that access to healthcare services cannot be a privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bishops\u2019 letter to Congress noted the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops\u2019 support for the general goal of the 2010 health care law, but added that the conference in the end opposed its passage \u201cbecause it expanded the role of the federal government in funding and facilitating abortion and plans that cover abortion, and it failed to provide essential conscience protections and access to health care for immigrants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain committed to the ideals of universal and affordable health care, and to the pursuit of those ideals in a manner that includes protections for human life, conscience and immigrants,\u201d the letter concluded. \u201cWe urge you to approach the important debates in the days ahead seeking also to honor these principles for the good of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Washington D.C., Jan 18, 2017 \/ 01:47 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Any changes to health care law under the new administration should not abandon the principal of genuinely affordable health care for everyone, said the U.S. bishops in a letter to Congress.<\/p>\n

In…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nUS bishops: Health care should be truly universal, affordable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Jan 18, 2017 \/ 01:47 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Any changes to health care law under the new administration should not abandon the principal of genuinely affordable health care for everyone, said the U.S. bishops in a letter to Congress. 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