The wait is over: Reform legislation meets many ministry criteria

In 2007, CHA engaged in dialogue with the Catholic health ministry to develop "Our Vision for U.S. Health Care," a document that set out values and principles that the ministry considers to be essential elements in health care reform.

The values named in the document come from Catholic social teaching and include respect for human dignity, advancing the common good and stewardship of resources among others. The document also lists principles that should be reflected in reform, including expansion of health insurance coverage to everyone, better quality and safety and a system that puts the patient at the center of the care process. While there is still work to do before that vision is fully realized, the reform law meets many of the ministry's criteria for an improved system, many observers said.

After completing the vision statement, CHA's health reform initiatives committee worked to keep public attention focused on reform, to combat misinformation and to bring a values-based message to the national dialogue.

Ministry colleagues submitted hundreds of photographs showing reasons the nation needs reform for inclusion in the committee's "I Can't Wait for Health Reform" YouTube video campaign. CHA's advocacy staff is updating the video. The new version will juxtapose wishes expressed in the original with answering provisions in the reform legislation.

"While others focused on financial and other reform issues, we held fast to the notion that there was a moral imperative behind making the system available to more than 45 million people," who are uninsured, said Dan Hale, chair of the reform initiatives committee and executive vice president of the Trinity Institute for Health and Community Benefits at Trinity Health of Novi, Mich. "We worked hard to keep attention on the rightness of doing this."