Catholic Health Care Advocates Papers
Health Insurance — Financial Fueler of Evil
Michael O’Dea
In 1987, when I was counseling a teenage mother at Mother and Unborn Baby Care (pregnancy help center) I asked the mother of this pregnant teenager if her daughter was going to have an abortion, because they lacked finances. The mother responded "Whether she has the baby or aborts it, my insurance with Blue Care Network will pay". Since I was also insured by the same company, I no longer wanted to subsidize the killing of God’s innocent children, so began my journey to change the health care culture.
Health insurance finances a huge and growing piece of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. In the wrong hands (as it is today), it has a devastating effect. "Culture of death" advocates quietly, but aggressively, continue to insert procedures into the national and state health insurance programs which are directly opposed to the teaching of the Catholic Church.
According to the 1993 , Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) survey, at least 86% of all types of typical plans in the private sector routinely cover tubal ligation and at least two-thirds cover abortion services. The "family planners" said this was not enough, they wanted 100%, coverage for abortion, sterilization and contraceptive services. With the expansion of HMOs since 1993, the family planners are getting their wish. More and more employers are expanding to HMOs and POS networks where coverage for abortion, sterilization and contraception is usually covered. (Slide)
According to the Allen Guttmacher Institute (AGI), confidentiality of abortion services is "more important to reproductive services than to other types of medical care". This same study reported that 71% of HMOs allowed confidential reproductive services for spouse and non spouse dependents 18 and over, and 64% for nonspouse dependents under 18. (Slide) The health care plan designers don’t want to allow a husband to know when his wife is pregnant, but will pay for someone to kill his child. They also don’t want to allow mothers and fathers to know if their daughter is pregnant, but will pay for the killing of their grandchild.
The Allen Guttmacher Institute is the leading organization that addresses family planning and sexuality issues. It was originally a division of Planned Parenthood (PP) was founded in 1968 as the Center for Family Planning Program. Ironically, in 1970 my wife and I went to PP to seek their help in having children. Little did we know that they would become the largest provider and promoter of abortion in the world, and our greatest enemy.
Some of the most recent "accomplishments" of PP, woman’s rights and family planning proponents include:
- State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) — a network of subsidized family planning clinics for children (to include contraception, sterilization, and abortion for rape, incest, and life of the mother). (Slide)
- Cooperation of religious organizations with abortion, sterilization and contraceptive services though bypass mechanisms.
- Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) — mandating contraception coverage (to include abortifacient drugs and devices). The state of Maryland requires such coverage in all private health insurance plans.
- Claims processing that insure confidentiality for reproductive services.
- Forcing primary care physicians to provide confidential referrals for reproductive services.
- Permitting "Direct Access" to abortion, sterilization and contraceptive services.
- The use of accreditation as a wedge to require confidentiality on reproductive issues.
- Medicaid Managed Care mandates that fund family planning services. (Slide)
Catholic institutions, particularly dioceses, enjoy a deep reservoir of ethical and spiritual influence; but also control significant economic power. Dioceses typically obtain "Catholic" health insurance from large national organizations such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente, and Aetna/U.S Healthcare. These organizations routinely pay for abortions and other procedures contrary to Catholic teaching; but they "carve out" these procedures from the coverage of diocesan employees. In taking this approach, Catholic organizations are allowing the secular culture to define healthcare and Catholic health care professionals miss an enormous opportunity to provide much needed leadership to Catholics.
The time has come for Catholics to boldly and positively take a proactive role in defining health insurance and restore the "culture of life" within healthcare.
We visualize the compelling opportunity and need to bring all dioceses together under a national Catholic health insurance plan. This would immediately encourage corporations across the country to add this option for employees. (Some of the most successful and economically powerful corporations in America are led by prominent Catholic CEO’s.) To establish Catholic insurance in the local dioceses, the not-for profit Christus Medicus Foundation has been formed to focus on establishing Catholic health insurance.
The components of a successful and faithful Catholic insurance will be presented in tomorrow’s session "A Truly Catholic Health System".
