The health care system in the United States is a patchwork of private practitioners, HMO's, Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance plans, employer insurance plans, etc. Recent and current attempts by Congress to "reform" Medicare and Medicaid threaten to reduce the benefits and quality of care in these programs and to further increase the number of Americans without medical care. Over 37 million Americans are without any medical insurance, and their number is growing.
Much of the reason for the rapidly rising cost of medical care lies in the layers of bureaucracy in the present system. The amount of duplication and waste caused by the layers of claims, review, monitoring, multiple billing and collection is staggering. In addition, efforts to cut costs by offering lower rates to healthy people often forces those most in need of care into expensive programs or leaves them without minimal care.
The best solution to the present crisis is a system of universal health care administered by the government or by a government chartered agency such as the Social Security System. Health care would be available to all Americans on an equal basis, paid for by tax dollars. The cost of administering the program would be greatly reduced with the elimination of bureaucratic layers and mountains of paperwork.
Such a program of universal health care, sometimes called a Single Payer System, has been vigorously opposed by insurance companies and by the private plans, which profit most from the present wasteful and unjust system. They have spent millions of dollars in a barrage of advertising attacking proposals for such a program. We lament that this has prevented universal health care from receiving a fair hearing by the American people.
To address this problem, The United Methodist Church:
1) directs the General Board of Church and Society to prepare materials to facilitate a dialogue on universal health care within The United Methodist Church; and
2) calls upon the U.S. administration and Congress to enact a system of tax-funded universal health care.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 22461-CS-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference