WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lauding the idea of universal health coverage but warning about the challenges that health care reform may pose in the realm of religious rights, Agudath Israel of America’s Washington Office director and counsel, Rabbi Abba Cohen, laid out his organization’s perspective in a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, and copied to Congressional leaders and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
The letter calls “universal coverage” a “worthy goal” and the fact that tens of millions of Americans reportedly have no health coverage “unacceptable.” At the same time, it expresses concern that the cost-cutting measures designed to achieve universal coverage could result in diminished medical options for patients, and might undermine the centrality of the patient-doctor relationship.
Those concerns, according to Agudath Israel, must be considered in light of the fact that, for Orthodox Jews and millions of Americans of all faiths, “the preservation of life and the promotion of good health and well-being are religious imperatives.” This insight, writes Rabbi Cohen, “adds an important new dimension to the debate over health care policy” – a debate that has taken center stage in the public arena as legislation seeking to overhaul health care in the United States is being considered by Congress.
The issue of religious rights, Rabbi Cohen writes, certainly bears impact on patient treatment. Agudath Israel is concerned that appropriate health care may not be provided in circumstances where “cost-benefit” analyses or judgments about “quality of life” may cause treatment to be denied; and asserts that treatment of the infirm must take into account patients’ religious convictions.
Furthermore, the religious rights of health-care providers and private sector employers must also be respected, writes Rabbi Cohen. When medical personnel, for instance, are “called upon to perform medical procedures they consider religiously or morally objectionable” or “employers are told to provide coverage for such procedures,” Agudath Israel asserts, their rights should be safeguarded.
Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudath Israel’s executive vice president, noted the unique contribution the organization’s letter makes to the ongoing national debate. “Discussion of the religious dimension of health care has been largely absent from the national dialogue,” he says. “In reality, matters of life and death cannot be measured solely in dollars and cents; they no less need to be considered through the prism of religion and morality.”
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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11 Responses
Sorry Aguda but Universal Healthcare is NOT a “worthy goal.” The President and his gang wants to “Reform” healthcare which indicates there was something majorly wrong with it. If we are for this “reform” we should also be ok with the “reforming” of yiddishkeit that began about 175 years ago. I guess something was wrong with Judaism that it had to be changed into something which we never saw before!??
You want the Government to control healthcare?–GOOD LUCK.
Have you ever tried to contact a Government agency to resolve a problem? Then you know what kind of a nightmare this will be.
By the way, automobile dealrs are abandoning the “Cash for Clunkers” program in droves. The Government is unable to process the claims. Dealers are giving the allowances, but the Government isn’t paying the promised rebates.
The dealers feel like the suckers that they are, swallowing The Con-Man’s propaganda.
Universal health care, at public expenses, is critical for frum Jews in America. As it is, even frum Jews who concentrate on earning a parnassah are much worse off than secular Americans – families who devote themselves to learning and teaching Torah are even worse off. The current system radically discriminates against us since they make health care contingent on being rich or working for a large company. It is embarassing how many frum people go begging to pay medical bills, or turn to public welfare, or resort to “quacks”.
Issues such as the need for a “conscience clause” are independent of who pays for health care (be real, any insurance company loves abortion and euthanasia since they are cheaper than the alternative). This has nothing to do with changes in how medical care is financed.Indeed, making it public, which isn’t being suggested, would mean the civil rights vis a vis the government would apply (as opposed to the private employer that can legally discriminate in many ways the government can’t).
The proposals being discussed by the Democrats all have serious flaws, but with luck, by 2011 there will be enough Republicans in Congress to work out a more reasonable soulution to the health care crisis.
forcing companies to accept people is different than forcing people to accept healthcare
On this issue I AGREE WITH AGUDAH!
I have already expressed my opinion and concerns about end-of-life issues to Senators and Representatives I am close with. THIS proposal will IY”H fail royally, and will hopefully signify the beginning of the downfall of the abomination we find ourselves in. The wider the margin of nay votes the greater the fall. The votes are simply not there.
mark levin wrote: “…If we are for this “reform” we should also be ok with the “reforming” of yiddishkeit that began about 175 years ago. I guess something was wrong with Judaism that it had to be changed into something which we never saw before!??”
That comment should be nominated to the hall of fame of nonsense. Whether or not you agree with healthcare reform, the proposal of socio-economic changes proposed by secular governments has NOTHING to do with the “reforming” of Yiddishkeit.
Your assertion is severly flawed in that the Torah was given by HaShem – “reforming” the Torah is assur, reforming socio-economic laws is not and the equating the two is foolish.
10% of my house needs a paint job so based on the twisted logic or lack thereof of Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Frank, and the rest of the socialists out there, I should knock down my house & build a new one.
Does that make sense to anyone out there in YWN land because it doesn’t to me!
If they REALLY wanted to do something positive, they would pass a law which would allow us to take a COMPLETE DEDUCTION FOR ANY HEALTHCARE RELATED EXPENSE. This would include the cost of insurance plus any deductible needed to pay anywhere. As far as I am concerned even OTC pain relievers could also be deducted.
My plan keeps the govt out of our healthcare decisions, out of our bedrooms, and away from us altogether.
mdlevine,
Gee thanks. It actually made plenty sense but alas you didn’t get the tzushtel.
Anyway, I have a few rooms in my house that need a painting but based on the socialized medicine bills submitted by Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Frank and all the other leftist in DC, I decided I’m just going to knock the whole house down and rebuild it.
Does that make any more sense than killing the good healthcare we have here for about 10% of the population? It doesn’t to me!
I have an idea if they really want to make a difference. How about FULL DEDUCTIONS of all healthcare related expenses on our tax forms?? This would include but would not be limited to co-pays, insurance premiums, prescriptions, etc.
This will allow us to keep our own insurance and would allow people to get insurance knowing they could deduct it at the end of the year. They would go to the doctors when they dont feel well since they will be able to deduct the co-pay or if they are out of pocket, the whole bill.
The problem is this wont go anywhere in Obamaville because Obama and his thugs want to be in power over you. They want to run your life. Anytime the president opens his mouth and says something like “I dont want to….,” it means I really do but I am saying I dont so you fall for my lies just like you have until now.
Remember: TAX BREAKS WILL SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN!!
When Medicare was passed in the 1960 S,the size of the bill was 28 pages long. This new bill is over 1000 pages long.No one knows whats burried in this bill. If you want universal coverage,just add on to the Medicare bill one page that everyone
is now covered. If a person can’t pay for it,there
is always Medicade. If they want universal coverage,then let the President and his family and
all the congressmen and senators be included,instead of the fancy coverage that they have. Anyone who thinks that the government can do
a good job at anything,just go to the motor vehicles office or the passport office. Look at all the car dealerships that are leaving the CLUNKERS program. Thats what we will have with this new bill that neither the President or Congress know what’ in it. They will pass it in haste and repent at leisure.
know what’s in it.
You want less expensive health care? Talk to a doctor and ask him or her what his biggest costs are.
a/ MALPRACTICE INSURANCE for the ridiculous lotto type awards from lawyers like Shelly Silver. Yes, if the doctor makes a mistake someone must pay, but when a schmendrick gets millions for a botched hangnail, THE REST OF US PAY.
b/ PAPERWORK from the govt. – the govt is about to destroy Social Security, they cant run the PO and barely run medicare and medicaid and you beleve this mumzer crypto muslim/communist when he tells you there will always be a private option and that he and his leeft wing wizards lining their own pockets with lobbying money (GO TO DRUDGE AND SEE HOW AXELROD’S FAMILY IS RIPPING US OFF with lobbying fees, like a mini madoff) are going to streamline the process?
How many doctors have you seen that WONT ACCEPT MEDICAID?
Why do you think that is? BECAUSE THE GOVT GYPS THEM. You think a doctor should go to med school for years and take out hundreds of thousands of $ in school loans and work for $20k/year after he pays his NYC OFFICE RENT and his staff and his insurance?
WOULD YOU?
I feel for poor frum families – I am a poor (not so frum but kosher / shomer) family without health care.
Yes we need to change things, especially help doctors cut THEIR costs, and especially LET THE INSURANCE COMPANIES COMPETE equally in the states (ever notice why insurance ads often say “not available in NY”?) – because the lawyers here kill them.
But if we let this son of a kenyan communist (LOOK IT UP) take over our health care like he did GM and Chrysler, we will have helped destroy America.
Very disappointing that Aguda did not take a stronger stand against this clearly immoral attempt to socialize and, thereby, completely secularize health care.