FOCA is bad medicine for health care

By Guest Column —— Bio and Archives January 25, 2009

Comments | Print This | Subscribe | Email Us

- Sharon Robson-Beard The threats of the Freedom of Choice Act are far greater than a matter of Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life! People across America need to wake up and smell the coffee. Everyone needs to realize the true costs that are really at risk. The FOCA could cause the downfall or closure of Catholic Hospitals across the country. Published articles have appeared since the November election stating that the freedom of choice act would close hospitals and on at least one occasion a Bishop claimed openly that hospitals would defy FOCA.

Defiance of FOCA would likely come with its own cost of loss of federal Medicare and Medicaid funds. Catholic hospitals across the country have been providing a service of providing a great deal of service to uninsured and underinsured individuals. When I lived in New Orleans I like many, received free care from the Sisters of Charity at Charity Hospital. Now I work at another Catholic Hospital where we have a Christian care program that provides financial aid to those who qualify. Our for-profit counter part in town does not offer any such benefit. If FOCA is passed and signed we may see a new health care crisis that makes the present health care troubles seem trivial. If they cut Medicare and Medicaid payments to Catholic hospitals who refuse to perform abortions, but serve a high percentage of those in need there will only be one result in the end. We could see the collapse of the Catholic Hospital health care system, placing a greater demand on taxpayers and society. If the threats of the Catholic Bishops closing the hospitals or bankrupting the Catholic Hospital systems does come to pass, are the American taxpayers prepared for a bailout/government ownership of a government owned public healthcare system? Is this maybe a backdoor approach to a national heath care system? We never dreamed that the American tax payers would be share holders of the American banking system, so why should we imagine, that any other crisis or bailouts? We know it is a goal of many to nationalize healthcare. Would it be so far fetched to think that they be creating a greater health care crisis to push national healthcare? That I do not know. I do know I work for a Catholic hospital and all of us are very concerned for our jobs now. It is time to let your lawmakers understand the risk, this is not just a pro-life vs. pro-choice. It needs to be presented as a larger picture if we are to win!!! FOCA is far bigger then a freedom of choice issue. If people knew what they were really looking at, I think they would agree that the choice and balance within the present structure, while not perfect for all parties, is overall best left in its present form. We may very well need the help of moderates to keep what we have gained. I have a MBA concentration in accounting and presently working on concentration in Health Care Management. During the Clinton Health care debate I provided testimony on Health Care reform and Tax reform as a small business owner. (Against the Clinton Plan) [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1RD2-fabA&eurl=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=430256244&feature=player_embedded]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1RD2-fabA&eurl=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=430256244&feature=player_embedded[/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPLlWp318Ac]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPLlWp318Ac[/url]