The approaching end of our fundraising campaign raises the question, "What next?" Is there more that we - our Conference and Associations - can do to address the ongoing problem of medical debt in our country? Columnist Elizabeth Bruenig suggests a starting point: "In just societies, [medical] debts do not exist. But in our society, charity must stand in for justice so long as the latter is in short supply" (New York Times).
In this view, our debt buy is much-needed charity; it will "rescue" people from long-time debt and its distress. But rescue - charity - is not prevention, which requires justice. Justice, in health care and in our society, is a heavier, long-term lift. The UCC has a deep commitment to justice in society. The church, both nationally and locally, has long sought justice in health care, often through local Justice and Witness committees.
Bruenig summarizes the justice problem posed to us by medical debt: medical debt "is a consequence of the way our health care system is structured, with individuals owing . . . out-of-pocket costs for their care." Since, inevitably, these costs exceed many patients' ability to pay - even with insurance - medical debt is baked into the system.
So what does justice require? A biblical scholar suggests that, in scripture, "Acting justly" means "avoiding actions that destroy communal life" (John Donahue, Seek Justice That You May Live). Justice is, in large part, a matter of doing no harm, and avoiding harm when we can. A healthcare system that inflicts crushing debt harms the community by harming its members.
How should we structure our healthcare system to prevent this evil? What can we in the Illinois Conference and our Associations do to promote justice instead? This is our ongoing challenge and opportunity, if we are moved to embrace it.
In the meantime, "[i]t is unfortunate that in the United States - a country so rich, so suffuse with every possible luxury - so many people receive justice only in the form of charity, and only after they have lost so much" (Bruenig).
