Yesterday The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was upheld by the Supreme Court. On October 7, 2011 I read a helpful article on the Op-Ed page of the LA Times by William Leach, who had taught public policy and economics at Cal State Sacramento and UC Davis. I was struck by his fair-minded tone, and he considered it not strange for the government to provide incentives for all to have health insurance. The government does that in lots of other areas: deducting mortgage interest from our taxable income, moving expenses, charitable contributions, student loan interest, safe-deposit fees, hybrid cars, child care, and medical expenses and health insurance premiums.
As a Christian committed to the biblical text, I would be pleased to have persons of all or no religious stripes, and especially Christians speak positively of health care for all persons. The new heavens and new earth have health care as part of their makeup. Isaiah 65:20 says, “No more shall there be in it (new heavens and earth) an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.” The direction of history is that persons everywhere live a long full life.
However that vision comes to pass, and whatever political vision helps health care for all to happen, Christians, of all people, ought to be working for that, and happy for steps toward that. As well, our fair-minded tone of voice will be of great value in the ongoing conversation about health care.