NYT: Federal Health Plans to Include One Shaped by Catholic Tenets

[kskiska]

The Bush administration has broken new ground in its "faith-based" initiative, this time by offering federal employees a Catholic health plan that specifically excludes payment for contraceptives, abortion, sterilization and artificial insemination.

The new plan, announced last week, combines two White House priorities. It is part of a $1 billion project seeking to involve religious organizations in all types of federal social programs. At the same time, the plan is a new form of coverage - a health savings account combined with high-deductible coverage - that is being promoted as a centerpiece of President Bush's health care policy.

The plan, which will begin enrolling federal workers in 31 Illinois counties in November, is sponsored by OSF Health, a unit of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, which runs the St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria and five Catholic hospitals in Illinois and Michigan.

This is the first plan for federal workers "that has tailored its benefits in line with a set of tenets that are supported by the Catholic church," said Abby Block, a senior official in the Office of Personnel Management, which manages the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan, the nation's largest purchaser of health insurance. It is also the first to be to marketed as "faith-based.''

more…
http://nytimes.com/2004/09/25/business/25care.html

[benddem]

1. How are we going to rid ourselves

of all the crap this administration has perpetrated.

[Eye and Monkey]

2. Hey! Got one for Christian Scientists? REAL savings there!

Real savings for the "health provider" that is.

[Philosophy]

3. Bad marketing idea

When people hear "faith-based health care" they're gonna picture Benny Hinn.

[The Zanti Regent]

4. What about Jehovah's Witnesses?

You know, the one that will ban blood transfusions?

[madrchsod]

5. osf

sucks. the hospitals are decent places and the staffs are good but the crap ya have to go thru to get authorization is not the best.osf has never performed abortions,serilizations,etc..what i am not sure of is how many federal employees are really covered under osf and how many would even use any of these "banned" proceedures. sounds like the sisters are seeing some easy way to get some free money.

[Rose Siding]

6. It's tailored to cost the ins companies less money

How the hell is this Constitutional? It isn't a law enacted directly by Congress but surely there is some law that permits Bush to design the health plans offered to employees? If this plan ends up costing less because of the service exclusions, isn't that preferential or discriminatory of other religions?

[JohnnyCougar]

7. Well, there goes the KKK vote

[NewYorkerfromMass]

8. this is NOT a "Catholic health plan" What utter BS

and marketing label for the Catholic vote.

[napi21]

9. This is a real stupid idea! I'm Catholic, but I know many other

Catholics, if not MOST other Catholics, who take or have taken contraceptives, have had vasectomys, or sterilazations done. I only know one who had an abortion, and it was about 25 years ago.

My point is, he may get the support from some small segment of Catholics, but believe me, it's a very small segment. Karl screwed up on this one. He doesn't recognize the change in the Catholic Church population.

[LiberalFighter]

17. Maybe they will require all Catholics to be part of the plan..

and likewise individulized plans for other religions?

[PROUDNWLIBERAL]

10. Faith Based Health Care

As a good God fearing Repuke why don't they embrace Faith Based Health Care---close all the hospitals---no doctors---rely on God for your health needs---pass the Bible---before the Liberals ban it!

[OneBlueSky]

11. they should get, oh, about three subscribers . . . n/t

.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. T Jefferson spinning in his grave --

this cabal truly astounds -- unbelievable.

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Front-paged NYT -- significant breach of church/state separation

n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

14. kick

[maryallen]

15. Any word on the inclusion of VIAGRA?

Typical neo-con/evangelical bs...

[prolesunited]

16. What a bunch of BS

Although the anti-abortion sentiment among Catholics remain strong, most feel that the use of birth control is acceptable — in spite of church dictates.

A 1992 Gallup poll showed that 80 percent of U.S. Catholics disagreed with the statement "Using artificial means of birth control is wrong." And a 1996 study conducted by Father Thomas Sweetser for the Parish Evaluation Project found only 9 percent of Catholics who consider birth control to be wrong.

http://www.uscatholic.org/soundboard/1998/jun/bc2.html


The real threat is further reduction to women's access to legal reproductive health care. What's next: Faith-based pharmacies that won't sell contraception (we've already seen individual refusals) and faith-based hospitals that won't give appropriate care after rapes?

What if these are the ONLY choices for women outside of major cities? In fact, access already is a problem: Today in the United States there are no abortion providers in 86% of all counties. One in four women must travel over fifty miles to go to a women's clinic.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web1/kennedy.html