Capital District Clergy call for Fair Share for Health Care Act

Clergy join call for
"Fair Share for Health Care"

On June 12, 2006, 22 religious leaders in the Capital Region announced their support for the New York State Fair Share for Health Care Act by releasing the open letter posted below. They joined almost 200 of their peers from Buffalo, New York City and in Nassau County in asking their legislators to take this important first step.

Joseph Bruno, Majority Leader, NYS Senate
Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247

George Pataki, Governor
New York State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

Sheldon Silver, Speaker, NYS Assembly
Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12248

Dear Hon. Bruno, Pataki, and Silver:

New York is confronted by an ever-worsening health care crisis. Nearly 3 million New Yorkers do not have health insurance. Most are working New Yorkers and their families, people who labor days and nights to keep this state running. They bag our groceries, guard our office buildings, wait on our tables, and care for our sick and elderly. The live in our neighborhoods and attend our churches, mosques, and synagogues.

Often their lack of insurance causes them to forgo treatment until the injury or illness is too painful to ignore. Some are able to get their care from the emergency room, but that is inefficient and drives the cost of health care up for all of us. High costs of medical care then force them to cut back on food, delay paying their bills, and stop purchasing clothing and toys. More and more are forced into bankruptcy.

At the same time, the current system allows some businesses to shirk their responsibility by allowing their employees to go without health care or rely on public programs while responsible businesses and other taxpayers pay the costs. This is unfair. And when employees of large businesses are forced to rely on public programs or emergency rooms for their care, it means there is less money for other important services.

As religious leaders from diverse traditions, we share a fundamental belief that health care is a human right and access to it a moral imperative. As community leaders we accept the responsibility of caring for our neighbors and congregants, for one another and for ourselves.

We believe that the sick and injured cannot and should not be left to fend for themselves.

The Fair Share for Health Care Act (A10583/S7090 sponsored in the State Assembly by Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried and in the State Senate by Senator Nicholas Spano) will provide health insurance to as many as 650,000 working New Yorkers and provide health care security to 3.5 million more who are in danger of losing their health insurance at any moment.

The Fair Share for Health Care Act takes a modest and politically reasonable first step at the state level to secure and expand access to health care. Fair Share holds employers to a high ethical standard, and it is one they can afford to meet.

We hope you will join us, the labor movement, community groups and responsible businesses who are supporting this important effort by ensuring that it becomes law.

In faith,
Rev. Donna Elia, Troy Area United Ministries, Troy
Rev. David Heise, Stanford United Methodist Church, Schenectady
Rev. Debra Jameson, FOCUS Churches, Albany
Rev. John Kirwin, St. John's-St. Ann's Parish, Albany
Rev. Alexandra Lusak, First United Presbyterian Church, Troy
Rev. William Barney Pine Grove United Methodist Church, Albany
Rev. John J. Bradley, Blessed Sacrament Church, Albany
Rev. John U. Mille, Evangelical Protestant United Church of Christ, Albany
Rev. Joyce Hartwel, Artist's All- Faith Center, Albany
Rev. Stanley E. Skinner, Emmanuel Friedens Church, Schenectady
Rev. Van Stuart, Friendship Baptist Church, Schenectady
Tom McPheeters, ARISE, Albany
Father Joseph Angelini, Holy Family Church, Albany
Rev. Bob Luidens, Altamont Reformed Church, Altamont
Rev. Valerie Faust, Rhema Power Ministries, Albany
Rev. Susan Morrison, Trinity United Methodist Church, Albany
Rev. Victor L. Collier, Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, Albany
Rev. Sandra Damhof, Protestant Ministry – SUNY, Albany
Rev. Ronald Stockoff, Reformed Church of America, E. Greenbush
Rev. John Paarlberg, First Church of Albany, Albany
Rev. Gary Mercure, Sacred Heart-St. William's Roman Catholic Church, Troy
Rev. Paul Rees-Rohrbacher, St. John's Lutheran Church, Albany