Press Releases and Correspondence
CMA Issues New Statements on Health-Care Reform
Philadelphia, PA – September 21, 2009 – The Catholic Medical Association (CMA) has issued two new public statements as Congress prepares to return to work on health-care legislation: a letter to members of key congressional committees, and an open letter to Catholic organizations calling for unity and focus in the health-care reform debate.
In a September 4, 2009, letter sent to members of the Senate Finance and HELP Committees, and members of the House Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Energy and Commerce Committees, the CMA reiterated its chief concerns regarding current legislation. Timed to greet legislators on their return from the August recess, the CMA’s letter urged members of Congress to base reform on sound ethical and economic principles, and to take the time necessary to craft well-founded legislation. The full text of one of the letters, addressed to Senator Baucus, can be read at here.
The CMA letter urged committee members to respect the freedom of American patients and health-care providers, as well as the integrity of the physician-patient relationship. All versions of the legislation released to date manifest such excessive levels of governmental regulation and control that they are detrimental to the effective practice of medicine. Moreover, none of the bills released to date clearly excludes federal funding for, and mandated coverage of, abortion. And despite some apparent efforts in the House Energy and Commerce and Senate Finance Committees to articulate respect for conscience rights, the CMA is convinced that sufficient protection for this fundamental human and constitutional right has not yet been provided
Next, on September 21, the CMA issued an open letter to Catholic organizations, urging them to provide greater emphasis on respect for Catholic social teaching on subsidiarity in legislative debates about health-care reform. Respect for subsidiarity prohibits larger organizations from taking over the functions and responsibilities of small organizations. While Catholic organizations agree on fundamental Church teaching, and on the goal of providing access to affordable, quality health-care insurance and services to all, they often disagree on the best means to achieve those goals. According to CMA president Louis Breschi, M.D., “We think the government-controlled approach to health-care reform evident in current legislation is not only detrimental to the practice of medicine, but violates this important principle of Catholic social teaching as well. Such an approach is wrong in principle, and will undoubtedly lead to poor outcomes if implemented.” The full text of this open letter can be read here.
Founded in 1932, the Catholic Medical Association is the largest association of Catholic physicians in North America.
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