ELCA Assembly Hearing Discusses Health Care Proposal

DENVER (ELCA) -- Dozens of issues and ideas were raised by more than 40 speakers during two hearings Aug. 17 on a proposal that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) prepare a social statement on health care.
While participants voiced differences of opinion, no one suggested the ELCA Churchwide Assembly should turn down the proposal.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 16-22 at the Colorado Convention Center. There are more than 2,500 people participating, including 1,039 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: Hope for a New Century."
Last year, the board of the ELCA Division for Church in Society recommended development of a social statement on health and ethical issues in health care for presentation to the 2003 Churchwide Assembly. This year's assembly must authorize the preparation of a statement.
The back-to-back hearings drew about 150 participants. Many of those who spoke identified themselves as physicians, nurses, health-care administrators or board members from agencies and facilities involved with health care.
"We have done a great deal on Jesus' preaching and teaching, but where have we been on Jesus' healing?" asked Karen White, a diaconal minister from Columbus, Ohio, whose specialty is health ministry.
Many of those who spoke raised the issues of health care costs, managed care, alleged insurance-industry fraud and the more than 40 million Americans who have no health care insurance at all.
The Rev. Joanna Norris Grimshaw of Great Bend, Kan., said "health care for profit" seems "almost sinful."
Jeff Burrell, a voting member from the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod who works for a medical technology company, disagreed. He said that developing new treatments and technology is very expensive and required the backing of investors who expect a return on their investments.
A number of speakers urged advocacy with the federal government, which was criticized for cutting health care spending while increasing regulations. For others, issues included the poor access to health care experienced by those in rural areas or in the inner cities and by those suffering from mental illness.
Joanne Negstad, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America (LSA) -- a joint endeavor of the ELCA, The Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod and their related social service agencies, spoke at both hearings. She said LSA-related agencies spent $3.2 billion on health care last year, half of it for the elderly.
"We are in health care as a church," she said, adding that Medicare and health-care reform are top issues for LSA agencies.
"This is such a broad topic, but I believe that if we can promote health rather than only treat disease, we can make an impact,' said Barbara Marte, a nurse and voting member from the ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod. She urged working with the Missouri Synod, the country's second-largest Lutheran body, to educate Lutherans and others on better health practices and disease prevention.
The Rev. Ronald W. Duty, assistant director for studies, ELCA Division for Church in Society, told those at the hearings that if development of a social statement is approved, it will seek to offer a biblical, Lutheran vision of health and health care. The intention is for it to address three "complex and substantive concerns:"
* issues of access and equity in health care;
* the mission and ministry of the ELCA's own institutions that provide health care; and
* the role of health ministries in ELCA's congregations.
The Rev. Mario Miranda, a member of the ELCA Church Council, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and a physician, was moderator for the hearing. He commented that the task force that will develop the social statement, if it is authorized by the churchwide assembly, will have "a lot of concerns to address by 2003."

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html