Health care is a natural human right

By Most Rev. Jerome Hanus, Most Rev. R. Walker Nickless, Most Rev. Martin Amos, and Most Rev. Richard Pates

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We, the Catholic bishops of Iowa, are grateful that the governor and the Iowa Legislature are debating how to make health care coverage more readily available to low-income Iowans.

The Catholic Church has millennia of experience as providers of health care for all, especially the poor. Among the causes that contribute to poverty are “inadequate measures for guaranteeing basic health care” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 447). It is in this spirit we reiterate our Catholic tradition: health care is a natural human right, essential to protecting human life and dignity.

We believe there are several criteria that should be considered when evaluating a health care proposal. It should:

l Ensure access to quality, readily accessible, affordable, life-giving health care for all.

l Retain long-standing requirements that federal funds not be used for elective abortions or plans that include them, and effectively protect conscience rights.

l Protect the access to health care that immigrants currently have and remove current barriers to access.

Ultimately, it is the role of our civil leaders to decide what is most practical in achieving the common good. Currently, the Medicaid public health insurance program is limited to very low-income adults who have dependents or a disability. One of the decisions facing the Legislature is whether to extend Medicaid with the assistance of additional federal dollars.

The proposed Medicaid expansion passed by the Iowa Senate would:

l Extend coverage to almost all people who earn less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level - projected to include 150,000 people.

l Help people whose income is from 138-400 percent of FPL to purchase private plans with the assistance of tax credits through an exchange (marketplace).

l Entitle care to every person who qualifies by reason of income.

l Require no monthly premiums.

l Cost the state's budget less during the next several years because of the federal government paying a greater share.

A Healthy Iowa plan, passed by the Iowa House, would:

l Extend coverage to those who earn less than 100 percent of the FPL - about 90,000 people; l Allow people whose income is from 100-400 FPL to purchase private insurance plans with the assistance of tax credits through the exchange.

l Limit, close or reduce enrollment and benefits if costs exceed appropriated funds.

l Provide that recipients can be dropped from the program if they don't pay premiums.

Both plans would cover refugees and lawful permanent residents in the same way as Medicaid. Unfortunately, neither corrects a certain problem contained in the federal Affordable Care Act: the subsidization of health insurance plans in the exchange that include coverage of elective abortion. We call on the Legislature to exclude these plans from the exchange.

With about 250,000 Iowans lacking health care coverage, this issue remains urgent. Especially because the current limited IowaCare program is expiring, action by the General Assembly and the governor is critical to make sure that as many people as possible have access to life-sustaining health insurance.

Most Rev. Jerome Hanus, Apostolic Administrator, Archdiocese of Dubuque; Most Rev. R. Walker Nickless, Bishop of Sioux City; Most Rev. Martin Amos, Bishop of Davenport; Most Rev. Richard Pates, Bishop of Des Moines Comments: info@iowacatholicconference.org