USCCB Website on Health Care Reform

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops continues to voice its opposition to the passage of the recent health care reform bill which they found “deeply disturbing” and fundamentally flawed.

The USCCB opposes the bill, which was passed by a seven vote margin in the House of Representatives last week, because it expands federal funding of abortion and prohibits undocumented immigrants from seeking coverage in insurance exchanges.

Caring for the sick and vulnerable has long been a principle mission of the Catholic Church and has prompted the opening of hundreds of Catholic hospitals which account for over 15% of US hospital admissions each year.  A unanimous statement by the Administrative Committee of the USCCB on March 23 emphasized this point, stating that “For nearly a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for reform of our health care system so that all may have access to the care that recognizes and affirms their human dignity.”

The passed reform bill did not contain the “Stupak-Pitts Amendment” that was included in the original House bill which would have banned the expansion of abortion funding.  In a compromise with pro-life Democrat Congressman Bart Stupak, President Barack Obama agreed to issue an executive order that maintained federal funds would not be used to pay for abortions.  Executive Order 13535 explained that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act maintained the Hyde Amendment on abortion funding and extended it to health insurance exchanges.

While the USCCB Administrative Committee agreed with the goal of the executive order, they said that “the fact that an Executive Order is necessary to clarify the legislation points to deficiencies in the statute itself.”

“We do not understand how an Executive Order, no matter how well intentioned, can substitute for statutory provisions. […] The statute is also profoundly flawed because it has failed to include necessary language to provide essential conscience protections (both within and beyond the abortion context).” said the USCCB.

The USCCB was also disappointed the bill left many immigrants without health care options.  Shortly before the bill was passed Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Bishop William Murphy, and Bishop John Wester wrote in a joint letter to congressmen, stating “Universal coverage should be truly universal. […]The Senate bill would not only continue current law that denies legal immigrants access to Medicaid for five years, but also prohibit undocumented immigrants from buying insurance for their families in the exchanges using their own money.”

Some Catholics, though, have voiced their support for the bill.  Network, a group of religious sisters in the United States, wrote to congress on March 17 to say that “the time is now for health reform AND the Senate bill is a good way forward.  As the heads of major Catholic women’s religious order in the United States, we represent 59,000 Catholic Sisters in the United States who respond to needs of people in many ways.”

Sister Ann Walsh, USCCB Director of Media Relations, responded to the letter saying, “Despite what Network said, they do not come anywhere near representing 59,000 American sisters.  The letter had 55 signatories, some individuals, some groups of three to five persons.  One endorser signed twice.”

Despite Network’s belief that the bill did not support abortion funding, Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards, thanked the religious sisters in a March 24th Huffington Post article: “It was the Roman Catholic nuns who most importantly broke with the bishops and the Vatican to announce their support for health care reform.”

Though the USCCB has serious doubts about this bill, it did emphasize its commitment to universal health care coverage, saying in their March 24th statement, “Many elements of the health care reform measure signed into law by the President … help to fulfill the duty that we have to each other for the common good. We are bishops, and therefore pastors and teachers. In that role, we applaud the effort to expand health care to all.”

John Paris, S.J., a professor in the Theology Department at Boston College, agreed, saying in a statement to the Observer that “The major issue with the health reform bill is that it is an attempt to fulfill the Catholic social teaching that we have a responsibility to aid and assist the poor in a manner that protects their dignity as human.”

“Health care coverage is a basic necessity to achieve that gospel driven goal,” Paris said.

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