A Conversation with Sister Jean deBlois, CSJ

Catholic Social Teaching and the Challenge of Health Care Reform
A conversation with Sister Jean deBlois, CSJ

Health care reform has been on our national agenda for decades but no real progress has been made. Forty-seven million of our brothers and sisters have no health care insurance and suffer significant negative effects as a result. As we contemplate yet another attempt to "fix" American health care, Catholic social teaching can help us understand why fundamental reform must be achieved.

"Most of us, as ordinary citizens, have heard about the plight of the uninsured but haven't really come to grips with it as people of faith," says Sister Jean deBlois, CSJ. A leader in the field of health care ethics, deBlois is professor of systematic theology and the director of the master's program in health care mission at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.

In this Q&A, deBlois guides us through the issue of health care reform from a Catholic social teaching perspective.

Q. What are the principles of Catholic social teaching that speak to us most about the health care crisis?
A. The four that are most relevant to the issue are:

• Human dignity: Every person is created in the image and likeness of God, and, because of this, is sacred and possesses an inalienable dignity.
• Preferential option for poor and vulnerable persons: The moral test of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.
• Common Good: Persons are social by nature. We achieve fulfillment only in the context of community. We all have a duty to work for the good of the whole community.
• Solidarity: We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, wherever they may be.

Q. How should these principles guide Catholics in thinking about health care reform?
A. Every person possesses a fundamental right to access at least a basic level of health care. This right is grounded in and required by the dignity of the human person, a dignity conferred by God in the act of creation. Health care is not a commodity to be purchased by those who have the ability to pay for it. Rather, health care, like education, is a public or social good that exists to serve the good of the whole society. Society has an obligation to distribute that good in an equitable manner to all members of the community.

Q. What has resulted from treating health care as a commodity vs. as a public good?
A. The failure of previous health care reform efforts left incremental reform up to the "market," which is driven by the theory of supply and demand, usually resulting in increased competition, higher quality and lower costs. This may apply to cars and houses, but in reality, when we rely on this to manage health care, costs go up and quality goes down. The nature of the doctor/patient relationship has changed as well. The former "covenant" of trust that empowered doctors is now a "contract" between a provider and consumer, laden with "caveat emptor" and "the customer is always right." The outcome has been devastating for physicians and for us, the patients, who rely on them to take good care of us.

Q. How are we called to live out the gospel principle of stewardship regarding health care and the common good?
A. Scripture tells us that when a rich man asks Jesus, "What do I have to do to gain eternal life?" Jesus replies, "Go sell what you have and give to the poor and follow me." The story says the man "went away sad because he had many possessions" - he could not contribute to the common good. (Mark 10: 17-22) We should ask ourselves: "For whom will I sacrifice?" and "What am I willing to forego so that all can have what they need?"

We hear many people, at places like the "town hall" meetings, saying, "I'm not giving up anything for anybody." The reality is this - the "pie" is only sliceable in so many pieces. If we enact health care that covers every one of us adequately, with all of us having access to at least basic health care services, those of us that have a lot may have to give up something. We may not be able to get what we want when we want it or we may have to wait a little bit to get our elective procedures done, but I'm called to give of myself so that others may have what they need.

Q. How do we, as Catholics, navigate the political aspects of health care reform?
A. We need health care reform - how it happens is a political debate. Our Catholic tradition is not about a political debate. It's about these principles - human dignity, preferential option for the poor and vulnerable persons, the common good and solidarity. How that gets inserted in the debate is up to all of us.

We are all coming at this from different perspectives - we all have different needs and we all have different gifts to bring - but the reality is that there are people who are dying because they lack access to basic health care.

Q. How can we make a difference?
A. Maybe it means that we call our legislators and say that tort reform is essential. Maybe it means that we call our senator to say that we need to continue to ensure conscience protection in our legislation. Maybe we write to our congressmen/women and say we don’t want to advance abortion, euthanasia or assisted suicide but we make it clear that we want people to have access to basic care.

But I think what our tradition calls us to most is to stand as "Good Samaritans" for those people who lack access to basic care and to be good stewards of this resource... it belongs to all of us.

Society has an obligation to distribute this good in an equitable manner to all members of the community with a particular attention to the poor. - Pope John XXIII , Pacem in Terris, 1963

• In 2007 non-elderly uninsured Americans numbered 45.7 million
• In 2008 uninsured elderly numbered 600,000
• 8 in 10 uninsured persons come from working families
• 2/3 of uninsured individuals and families are living below the federal poverty level
• $2.5 trillion was spent on health care in the United States in 2008; $3 billion was spent on administrative health care costs alone.

Visit www.csjsl.org for links to information on health care reform policies, faith-based resources and ways to take action.

The Intern Music Video

The interns took it upon themselves to create an amazing music video this semester that shows how much fun we have at the CSC (although, it wouldn't quite be true to say that we break out in song and dance every day). You can see the professionally-made dance video they tried to emulate here. Of course, the interns' version is much better (seriously).

EDIT: Intern Elizabeth has graciously offered her perspective on the video. Her words below, then the video:

The backdrop as to where on earth the video came from:

The video was originally introduced to me while on a retreat called Aggie Awakening back in November 2005. Students leading the retreat made a spoof of it (similar to our own) and used it as a tool to introduce themselves to us. Needless to say, it was hilarious and forever stuck in my mind.

Flashing forward to the CSC Gala this past fall the song "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire was played later in the evening. I immediately reminisced back to four years ago and that video. I had attempted efforts to remember what the dance looked like and received several confused looks from Andrea plus other onlookers. Following the Gala, I decided to show my fellow interns the video. After showing the video, we half joked we would make the video ourselves. But, do to the busy schedule of the CSC with the Awakening Retreat and Parents Weekend it was just literally an idea. Early November the idea popped up again and the four of us decided we would like to do it as a way to outreach to those who may not know of the CSC or be as involved. Also, since Andrea was leaving it would be the last imprint the four interns could make together.

It was excellent bonding time as a staff especially before Andrea left. I will forever have ingrained in my mind the staff dancing on a table and laughing hysterically in the process. More importantly, it was a fun way of spreading the word about the CSC!

So, watch it. Enjoy it. Share it.

Even Good Samaritans Need Time

I recently finished reading a book called The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. The book is about little things that create big changes. It's a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it.

In one part of the book, Gladwell discusses a study involving a group of seminarians. Seminarians were selected for the study because (a) they would be familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan and (b) they are training to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

In the study, the seminarians were asked to prepare a short talk and then head over to a nearby building to present it. With one of the groups of seminarians, when they finished writing their talk, they were told that they were a few minutes early and could head over to the other building. With the other group, when they finished preparing the talk, they were told that they were running late and should rush over to give the talk.

The catch was that on the path between the preparation building and the destination building, each seminarian came across a man to the side of the path (an actor) who had his head down, eyes closed, and was coughing and groaning in pain.

Would the seminarians--potential "Good Samaritans"--stop and help the stranger?

The study revealed that yes, some of the seminarians stopped and help. But many did not. The key factor? Whether or not they felt rushed.

Out of the first group of those who were told they were early, 63% stopped and helped. In the latter group--those who felt rushed--only 10% stopped to help.

This is astonishing, right? 10%! Of seminarians, no less!

The lesson lies in a factor that we might not think affects us. We read this example and think, "Oh, I'd stop and help. Of course I would." But the truth is that the odds that we would stop and help have very little to do with who we are and much more to do with time. Do we feel like we have an abundance of time or a complete lack of time? The difference could be a key factor in whether or not we walk like a Christian or just talk like a Christian.

How can we apply this to our lives? Find little ways to make yourself feel like you have a few minutes to spare. Leave early. Set your clocks a few minutes fast. Don't wait until the last minute to finish your work or tell someone you love them. Wake up a few minutes early.

Those few minutes could be the difference in your ability to embody the Good Samaritan.