The Interfaith Community Shelter has opened for the winter. This is its second year of providing safety, warmth and nutrition for some of Santa Fe's homeless. Temple Beth Shalom will be providing dinners and friendship at the shelter from Sunday, December 20 to Saturday, December 26. Please volunteer to help by preparing food or even just offering companionship to men and women during an especially tough time of year. Call or email Sue Breslauer at 474-0922 or tbssac@comcast.net for more information.

September 2009

Dear Friends,

There has been much discussion by and in the media, at forums, on the streets and probably even in your own home, about President Obama’s plan to reform HealthCare. You should know that the Religious Action Center of the Union for Reform Judaism (our movement in the Jewish World) has issued the following statement:
“Jewish tradition is emphatic about the importance of the community providing health care for its vulnerable members. It is for this reason that Maimonides, a revered Jewish physician and scholar, listed healthcare first on his list of the ten most important communal services that a city had to offer to its residents. When members of a society at large are ill, our responsibility expands to ensure that medical resources are available at an affordable cost to those who need them.

It is our responsibility to lift up the moral voice for health care reform and to tell Congress to ensure swift passage of strong, comprehensive health care reform this year…”

Although it appears that there is no easy solution, there is a vital role that we of the Jewish faith can play to remind our elected officials that healthcare is not just about dollars and cents, but is a moral issue of life and death. It is fundamentally about whether we are a community that values the life of each person – poor, rich or middle class. In speaking out, we do so not just as Temple Beth Shalom, but also as part of, and in harmony with, the largest Jewish movement in America.

Below is a short discussion fact sheet that may help you to understand the ramifications of reform.

I. WHY WE SHOULD CARE AS JEWS AND AS CITIZENS
The Torah does not outline specific public policies around the provision of health care, but it does make it clear that protecting the health of each human being is a profoundly important personal and community responsibility for people of faith.
Throughout the Torah, God shows a special concern for the vulnerable and sick and acts to lift them up. The Torah also teaches God’s command that society organize in such a way that all members have genuine access to the resources needed to live a dignified life, as well as provide for those who are unable to care for themselves. As mentioned above, Maimonides, listed health care first on his list of the ten most important communal services that a city had to offer to its residents (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De’ot IV: 23), giving it the force of halacha.

Health care has been called the civil rights issue of this time. It affects everyone, the insured, the uninsured, the young and the old. We all need to feel confident that we will have quality, affordable health care.

II. THE BASIC TENETS OF THE PROPOSED HEALTH CARE PLAN
A. Everyone who is satisfied with his or her current health care plan can keep it.
B. Everyone can keep their present doctor and continue the same patient-doctor relationship as always.
C. If you don’t have insurance, the reform plan will provide you with options; one of these options is the public option. The idea is to have a marketplace of insurance options. The public option will be a benchmark for what a private plan should look like – what basic coverage can look like. However, it is only an OPTION, no one will be required to participate in this option.
D. The reform act will require that all insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions.
E. The reform act will ensure that you never lose your insurance because of job changes, moves, etc.
F. There will be a lifetime cap on out-of-pocket expenses.
G. Medicare benefits will basically not change.
H. Families will be protected from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs
I. Affordable, quality health coverage will be assured for all Americans
J. Patient safety and quality of care will improve
K. The President’s 2010 Budget lays the groundwork for reform of the American health care system, most notably by setting aside a deficit-neutral reserve fund of $635 billion over 10 years to help finance reform of our health care system to bring down costs, expand coverage, and improve quality.

III. For More information…
To access accurate information, go directly to sources that explain the proposed bill.
A. Representative Lujan has the entire bill on his web site. (lujan@house.gov)
B. Faithforhealth.org also has a lot of information.
C. Whitehouse.gov provides a reality check about things that are being said about reform
D. Call our Senators:
Senator Jeff Bingaman 505-988-6647 (Santa Fe office)
202-224-5521 (Washington office)
1-800-443-8658
Senator Tom Udall 505-988-6511 (Santa Fe office)
202-224-6621 (Washington office)
IV. WHAT CAN YOU DO?
A. Keep asking questions to be sure you have accurate information.
B. Attend forums.
C. Talk to your neighbors and friends about the importance of health care reform.
D. Call our Congressional Delegation.

Thank you for caring.
Marvin Schwab, Rabbi, Temple Beth Shalom
Bobbie Ferrell, Chair, Social Justice Council
Ellen Biderman, Health Care Issues