National Health Care: A Good Idea?

National Health Care: A Good Idea?

The Judeo-Christian teaching that human life is valuable drives us to consider health care that may not be cost effective.

Overview

Is national health-care insurance a benefit whose time has come? The rapid increase in the cost of medical care seems to be thrusting us toward such insurance. But lurking behind this question is a more important one: Have our decisions concerning life and death become so secularized that we are blindly worshiping at the altar of physical existence where the length of life is a higher priority than its quality?

Table of Contents

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 20:1–13; 2 Chronicles 16:1–14; Ecclesiastes 3:1–2; Matthew 4:1–4; Luke 4:1–4, 8:40–42, 51–55, 9:24, 12:25; Romans 14:8; 2 Timothy 3:10–12, 4:6–8

LEADER'S GUIDE

• The Issue

Sample questions:

Have you ever been without medical insurance? If you have, or if there ever came a time in which you were without it, did you—or would you—deny yourself medical attention because of the high cost of health care? Why?

Do you believe we should have a universal health insurance, provided through federal guidelines and financed by general taxation? Why or why not?

• The Scriptures

Sample Scriptures:

Abraham in Genesis 20:1–13: What do we learn about God's sovereignty in this account? Why must we believe in his sovereignty to appreciate the true value of our lives?

Luke 9:24: What does Jesus mean by the words lose and save? What priorities is he setting for us? How do these priorities enhance the quality of our lives?

• The Application

Sample application questions:

Do you believe the Christian perspective of death should be taught in your church?

Why is the quality of life just as important to you as the length of your life?

ARTICLE FROM CHRISTIANITY TODAY

Is Health Care Spiritual?, by G. Timothy Johnson (September 1990, 10 printed pages)

Total number of pages

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  • Word Document
  • SMG-CLBS20-D