Catholic Health World

Now that reform has passed

By SR. CAROL KEEHAN, DC
CHA president and chief executive officer

No one said it would be easy. However, the last two weeks leading up to the historic passage of the health reform bill were among the most challenging in CHA's history.

We shared with so many a desire that finally people in this country would have access to health care. We had a vision for health reform that outlined our non-negotiables and our priorities. Chief among these was respect for the life and dignity of all from conception to natural death.

We worked closely with other hospital associations, particularly the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals, on the myriad of technical and financial issues in the various bills. Hospitals can take pride in the cohesiveness with which we worked representing them.

CHA had incredible input and support from its members at all levels. Your guidance and responsiveness cannot be exaggerated; and, as staff, we are profoundly grateful to you.

We worked closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, especially in getting the president's clear statement in his address to the joint session of Congress that there would be no federal funding of abortion.

As the House bill was developing, we supported the Stupak amendment as a good method of preventing federal funding of abortion.

As the Senate bill was developing, the attempt to use the Stupak language in the Senate failed. We then spent many hours working with Sen. Robert Casey and Sen. Ben Nelson and their staffs to get language in the bill that would prevent federal funding of abortion. We also worked with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to assure the language was clear, effective and did not have loopholes that would allow federal funding of abortions. As you know, Senators Casey and Nelson are very pro-life and have been courageous and consistent in their stands in defense of life.

The CHA staff repeatedly analyzed the bills, especially in regard to any federal funding of abortion. We used the legal research of others as well. We had multiple dialogues with USCCB staff. Our conclusion, and that of many others, was that the Senate bill as written prevented federal funding of abortion. It may not have been our preferred method, but our conclusion is that it is an effective method to prevent federal funding of abortion, and that is the essential criteria.

Unfortunately, the staff of the USCCB did not reach the same conclusion, and their advice to the bishops reflected their views of the legislation as written. Despite repeated discussions, we were not able to bridge this difference of opinion. It is important to appreciate that the difference of opinion was on how effective the legislation was in preventing federal funding of abortion. We are in complete agreement on the grave evil of abortion.

People of good will can differ on evaluating the effectiveness of legislative language. It can be very painful when we do. It is a time that calls for deep respect for the conscience of others and their areas of expertise. It also calls for respectful statements of disagreement and efforts to challenge the opinions, not the character, of others.

I want to assure our membership that, in addition to repeated analysis of the bill, we had direct conversations with the leadership of both the legislative and executive branches. Certainty on the no federal funding of abortion was an essential responsibility we had to our members.

The bill has passed, and we thank God for what it will do for so many. It is a huge first step in developing a rational, comprehensive health policy for our nation. I have often said the legislation is important, but the regulations that must be developed to implement it are going to be almost as important. I assure you we will work with you to monitor them closely.

Over 31 million Americans will get some form of health insurance; working families will have protection from the predatory practices of some insurers; Medicare will be strengthened; demonstration projects on liability reform, coordination of care and the use of information technology will be available. These are some of the positive changes we will see. On the negative side, there are many, approximately 16 million, who will remain uninsured, and immigrants will not be treated as we believe they should be. There will be more to be accomplished into the future.

On the important issue of immigrants, this bill does fail them, but Catholic hospitals will not fail them. We must keep up our programs that reach out and support them, and we must continue to advocate for them.

Thank you for all you do each day — your work gives credibility to the CHA message. All of the CHA staff look forward to working closely with you in monitoring the implementation of this bill. We expect the need for course corrections as regulations are developed. In fact, I told the president that we would be working continuously with his staff to do just that.

Please let me assure you that all of us at CHA and your board have worked diligently to represent you in a manner that reflects our values as a ministry of the church. We welcome your questions and advice.

Copyright © 2010 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
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