The drama surrounding the health-care reform debate dominates Washington, D.C., these days. This is the first concerted effort to repair the U.S.’s broken health-care system in 15 years, but attempts to do have been made for more than 60 years.

Insurance and drug companies wield tremendous power among legislators. They seek first and foremost, of course, to protect their profits.

The only way real reform can occur will be as a result of pressure from the people. I urge you to contact your members of Congress and insist on health-care reform that includes a strong public option and that covers everyone. Time is of the essence.

The drug companies want to continue to charge high prices. Without reform, insurance companies will continue to routinely deny care to those who need it.

Public opinion polls show, however, that by a wide margin Americans want reform. To get change, I guarantee you that the public will have to insist on it.

In Washington, D.C., the fight over health-care reform is treated by many as a political game. While health-care reform has bipartisan support, there are members of both parties who are being obstructionists nonetheless.

For example, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has said, “If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” 

And on the Democratic side, the chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has virtually ruled out a single-payer system. He has been holding meetings of his committee behind closed doors.

The Washington Post reported yesterday: “Health-related companies and their employees gave Baucus’s political committees nearly $1.5 million in 2007 and 2008 when he began holding hearings and making preparations for this year’s reform debate.”

It’s not just Sen. Baucus, though. Health-care companies handed out almost $170 million to politicians over the past two years. To them, this is about money. $170 million is a pebble in the ocean compared to their profits.

Everyone should have health care: good, quality health care, not health care necessitated in emergency rooms. This is a moral issue. We need to speak out to make this happen.

Real courage would result in a single-payer health-care system in this country similar to those in other industrialized nations. Changing how insurance companies function in the U.S. system could save vast sums of money. They skim 10-20% off the top for profits, big salaries for their executives, and skyscrapers and tall buildings that dominate the U.S. landscape.

In addition to getting rid of the skim taken by insurance companies, many other ways exist to make sure everyone is covered. One is to redirect the billions of dollars spent each year on our war machine to life-improving uses, instead of death dealing. Another is to tax the rich who have benefited so fabulously these past eight years.

As Jesus said, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

Please take action now, sign-up to get updates on health-care reform activities that you can be a part of this summer.

And don't forget to contact your members of Congress immediately, urging them to support health-care reform. You can reach the offices of your senators and representatives through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Peace in Christ,

Jim Winkler
General Secretary