Healthcare for all?

Throughout the nation we have had town hall after town hall with citizens gravely concerned about the prospect of increasing government involvement in our health care system. I am not suggesting that there are no issues with our health care. It is truly expensive for several reasons as I see:

1. Technology advancements have increased the quality of health care that can be provided to citizens. Twenty years ago we wouldn't have had the option of MRI's or 3-D ultra sounds. The options available to really zero in on the cause of a health issue are tremendous. With the advancements come costs.

2. Government credentialing of our pharmaceutical industry has made the cost of testing and proving the viability of drugs more costly than virtually any other nation on the planet. But we also have to admit that this vigilance has also provided us one of the safest drug cafeterias available as well.

3. Because of the great care we have received through the years, people live longer and hence require medical care for a lifetime that has longer years than ever.

4. The legal community has encouraged frivolous law suits. Is it any wonder that doctors need to charge more for their services just to be able to afford the insurance they need to protect themselves from litigation. That is assuming that the doctors remain in the specialties they originally chose. It is getting more risky to practice medicine on live people better to move into working on cadavers.

5. In general, we like to blame other people for our problems and are not particularly willing to take responsibility for our own health issues and invest the cost and effort to adopt a healthily lifestyle to keep ourselves healthy and avoid the need for medical involvement.

I think that the more we look to government to solve our personal problems whether it be our financial affairs, home ownership or our health issues, the more likely we are to take our eyes off our Father in Heaven to care for us and to avoid our responsibility to be good stewards.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to care for the poor and the widows, but that is a matter of obedience but I don't think that it is a matter for government control. This week I participated in a National Project Homeless Connect held in Norfolk where hundreds and hundreds of volunteers came together to minister to the needs of the homeless. Many took vacation time to come and serve people in need. I was encouraged because of the large number of people who came voluntarily out of compassion for those in need. Medical, Optometry and Dental services were provided as well as Social Service agencies and non profits offered everything from food stamps, Social Security, Employment, housing legal aid to haircuts. Corporate gifts were given to provide for shoes, clothing, and personal hygiene products for take aways. The homeless were fed and virtually any need articulated was compassionately addressed.

The legislators would have you believe that people are dying because of their inability to provide for healthcare needs, but this outreach convinces me that in the United States we not only have the best healthcare available but also the most compassionate. Throughout human history there have always been people in need and there will always be until the Lord returns to assume his millenial reign.

Until then there will be lots of opportunity for Christians to witness to the less fortunate by being compassionate and generous. Take the challenge of reaching out to someone less fortunate than you today!

God bless you as you seek God's eternal mission for your life.