Nationalized Health Care Applies to Only You

Over the last several weeks the Catholic Church has been concerned that the new health care mandates will force them to pay for things for which they are morally opposed. It has become a hot topic amongst presidential candidates including President Obama. The administration has revised the mandate to try to accommodate the concerns of the Church but they refuse to be satisfied with any compromise. I believe their objections - along with many of their claims on what the mandate covers - are false and I'll explain why.

For any insurance policy to work, it needs to cover a large group of people to balance the risk. Not everyone will get sick but they still pay in to cover the unfortunate that do have health issues. However, just because all the money goes into the big pot doesn't mean that you agree with - or are associated with - where the money is spent. I pay my part - and my part covers me. You pay your part and your part covers you. Therefore, if the Catholic Church - and it's associated employees - pay into the system - it covers them. If the Church is successful in it's teaching of abstinence before marriage (or whatever their moral teachings are) then their own congregants will not be paying for contraception, sterilization or any other procedures they are morally against. They are only paying for their own part.

Meanwhile the person who takes advantage of the provided contraception has paid for their own coverage of that benefit. If they do not belong to the Catholic Church - then the Church did not pay for that benefit. However, if they are an active member of the Church and the Church fails in it's teachings of reproductive behavior, then the Church may in fact be paying for this contraception. In that case it is a failure of Church teachings that is the cause of the payment and not the mandate itself.

In order for the health care plan to work properly - the mandates need to be left in place. If the Catholic Church has a problem with their congregation not following their teachings, then they need to deal with that internally. The Catholic Church is only the first to object, but mark my words - more will try. Allowing exemptions to the mandates weakens the entire system. Perhaps that is the real goal of their objection.

Another point. The Catholic Church is a world wide organization and many other countries already have nationalized health care that likely includes mandates covering things the Church is opposed to. America is not the first to propose such mandates and the Church has been involved for many years already. Their objection now seems more political than simple moral accountability.