JULY 12, 2004

HEALTH
Uninsured pose moral as well as economic challenge

At a time when some polls show overwhelming support for the notion of universal health insurance, more and more Americans are going without. This rising tide of uninsured people has become a major concern of the nation's faith community.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 19 percent of Americans had no health coverage for at least part of 2003. The U.S. Census Bureau says that almost 44 million men, women and children - 15.2 percent of the population - lacked health insurance for all of 2002. That was up from 14.6 percent in 2001 and was the largest single-year increase (2.4 million) in a decade.

Leaders from a variety of faiths have joined together to underscore what they call America's moral obligation to ensure that everyone has access to health care. But the tack these groups take - and their success - may depend on other national concerns.

Election years normally are considered a prime time to bring attention to the uninsured. But 2004 isn't normal. Abigail Rian Evans, a professor of practical theology at the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton University, says that even though religious organizations have the clout to move this issue onto the national stage, Iraq and the economy have pushed health care far into the background.

Evans says religious organizations historically take a two-track approach. On the national level, they work to change public policy, whether it's prescription drug cards for the elderly or a patients' bill of rights. On the grassroots level, they provide free or low-cost health insurance, community health centers, free clinics and pharmaceutical assistance programs or work with local government agencies and charities to find other ways to make sure the uninsured have access to health care. With Capitol Hill's attention turned elsewhere this year, local efforts are probably where faith groups have the chance to make the most difference.

Why it Matters
Helping the uninsured gain access to health care is a moral obligation for society, according to religious leaders of all faiths. On the secular level, the monetary costs to society are staggering. According to some research, the price of providing care to the uninsured was estimated in 2001 to be between $34 billion and $38 billion, with the public sector financing up to 85 percent of that.

Questions for reporters
• How many people in your state and community have no health insurance? What services are available to them?
• How are religious organizations in your area providing health care access to the uninsured? How are they working with government and private entities on this issue?
• What obstacles face religious organizations, private groups and local government in their efforts to provide for the uninsured?
• In what ways are religious organizations helping uninsured immigrants?

Skip to background

Click the map for interview sources in your state and region

National sources

• The Rev. Eileen Lindner is deputy general secretary for research and planning with the National Council of Churches USA. She also is chairwoman of the national interfaith advisory board for Cover the Uninsured Week, a nonpartisan campaign to focus attention on the need for health coverage for all Americans. Contact 212-870-2333, elindner@ncccusa.org.
• Richard Land is president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and a member of the national interfaith advisory board for Cover the Uninsured Week. He has said the public must recognize that people with no health care coverage are not just strangers, but also family members, co-workers and friends. Contact Kerry Bural at 615-782-8419, kbural@erlc.com.
• Sayyid M. Syeed is secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America and a member of the national interfaith advisory board for Cover the Uninsured Week. Contact 317-839-8157 ext. 222, syeeds@isna.net.
• Hannah Rosenthal is vice chairwoman of the New York Jewish Council for Public Affairs and a member of the national interfaith advisory board for Cover the Uninsured Week. She has said that a family's success and strength depend on its access to health care. Contact 212-684-6950, hsrosenthal@thejcpa.org.
• Garland Pohl is president of the National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Officers and a member of the national interfaith advisory board for Cover the Uninsured Week. She calls access to health care coverage a basic human right. Contact 713-774-0097, gpohl@juno.com.

Background

• Read a July 1, 2004, Los Angeles Times story (registration required) about the increase in adults who lacked health insurance for extended periods in 2003. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 53.1 million Americans of all ages - 18.6 percent of the population - had no health coverage for part of that year.
• The U.S. Census Bureau provides data on the uninsured, including breakdowns by age, race, sex and state.
• A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that health care, in past polls normally the third most important issue among voters, had fallen to fifth, far behind the economy, Iraq and the war on terrorism. Those polled also rated education just above health care.
• PollingReport.com is a clearinghouse of polling information from various sources. This collection looks at voter priorities during several elections. This collection tracks voter opinions on health care.
• A July 24, 2003, poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 72 percent of Americans agreed the government should provide universal health insurance, even if it meant repealing most tax cuts passed under the Bush administration.
• Cover the Uninsured Week is a nonpartisan campaign to focus attention on the need to secure health coverage for all Americans and is organized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a diverse group of labor, health care, charitable and religious groups. The campaign marked its second annual observance May 10-16, 2004. Its web site offers a variety of information, statistics, and research.
• The Universal Health Care Action Network is a nationwide education, strategy development and advocacy group working to provide comprehensive health care for all Americans. The group has a "Faith Project" made up of religious leaders of all faiths. The site also has issue statements from various religious groups.
• Families USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. It has worked at the national, state and community levels for more than 20 years. The group offers information and statistics on the nation's uninsured.
• The PBS show NOW With Bill Moyers offers this state-by-state health care resource map.
• The PBS show Religion and Ethics Newsweekly ran this story on Oct. 31, 2003, on the personal cost of being uninsured.
• An Oct. 20, 2003, Associated Press story that ran on the Charleston Post and Courier's web site (registration required) looks at an ABC News/Washington Post poll on health care and the uninsured.
• BeliefNet.com offers a variety of stories and opinion pieces on religious organizations' efforts to help the uninsured.
• Read "2004 Presidential Candidates' Position on Health Care Issues," a paper written by Helen Ann Halpin, director of the Center for Health and Public Policy Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.