More than 800 religious organizations, labor unions, and public-advocacy groups in Maryland are calling for high-quality affordable health care for all.

In a letter endorsing the campaign of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative (MCHI), United Methodist Bishop Felton E. May told the Baltimore- Washington Conference that guaranteeing health care is a top priority for The United Methodist Church, as well as for many other faith communities.

Bishop May based his endorsement on Paragraph 66 of the United Methodist Social Principles in The Book of Discipline. It states: "Health care is a basic human right....It is unjust to construct or perpetuate barriers to physical wholeness or full participation in community....We also recognize the role of governments in ensuring that each individual has access to those elements necessary to good health."

Endorsers of the Maryland initiative agree that together they could develop a new health-care system that would guarantee affordable quality care. In the new system, people would have the right to choose their own doctors and would enjoy a benefits package appropriate for their age and gender. Health- care providers and their patients would also make all health-care decisions without the interference of an insurance company.

Citing Census Bureau statistics, the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative claims that 16.6 percent of Marylanders have no health insurance. The group also said that Maryland had the third-highest increase in the number of uninsured in the nation from 1997 to 1998. Of this number, 70 percent are workers and their families.

At a press conference held on May 2, the MCHI released a study conducted by the Lewin Group which found that, if Maryland adopted a single- payer insurance plan for achieving universal health care, the state could provide health care for all its citizens and save $345 million on total health-care spending in 2001. The study also showed that, in 2001, through a multipayer insurance system, the state could provide health care for all Marylanders for only $207 million more than it currently spends on health care (only a 1.1 percent increase).

A resolution on "Correcting Injustice in Health Care," which was passed at the 2000 United Methodist General Conference, criticized the current health-care system for excluding certain segments of society, such as the poor and the physically and mentally challenged, from access to adequate health services. It charged that private health-insurance companies continue to increase premium costs while limiting care or increasing deductibles and co-payments. Moreover, those without institutions or employers to provide them with health insurance often have no alternative but to sign up for personal policies that charge extraordinary rates.

The General Conference resolution proposed that The United Methodist Church "call for implementation of a totally nonprofit health-care insurance system, a single-payer system administered by the federal government."

Meanwhile, a national grassroots campaign has been launched with the goal of achieving universal health care in the United States. With the strong support of faith communities across the country, the U2K Campaign (www.u2kcampaign.org) is pushing for the observance of Health Care Justice Week, October 13-22. The campaign has been endorsed by the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church.

September 27, 2000