Caritas Christi Health Care withdraws from deal with Centene Corp
Caritas Christi Health Care, the financially challenged Catholic hospital system founded by the Archdiocese of Boston, is abruptly ending its joint venture with a Missouri-based health insurer at the insistence of Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, who has decided that the relationship represented too much of an entanglement between Catholic hospitals and abortion providers.
The dramatic development, just days before the joint venture was scheduled to start providing care to low-income residents as part of the state's efforts to establish near universal health coverage here, is a vindication of sorts for a variety of very conservative Catholic critics of the cardinal, who have been arguing angrily and loudly that it would be "evil" for Caritas to partner with a health provider that covers abortion services.
The newspaper had to get that bit in and blame critics who were quite upset with a cooperation with evil that I would certainly would not class as only remote material cooperation. I am quite thankful for those critics who held the Archdiocese's feet to the fire and that Cardinal O'Malley did the right thing.
In keeping with the ethical directives that bind Catholic hospitals, Caritas hospitals will not provide abortion or sterilizations. Caritas already refers privately-insured patients who seek such services to their insurance providers, and will do the same with state-insured patients. (Caritas spelled out its practices for handling Catholic ethical teachings in a statement June 11.)
The previous statement contains this:
Dr. Ralphe de la Torre, President of Caritas Christ, stated that "when a a patient seeks such a procedure, Caritas health care professionals will be clear that (a) the hospital does not perform them and (b) the patient must turn to his or her insurer for further guidance. ..."
Such an approach seems odd to me. "Hey we don't abort or sterilize, buy hey talk to your insurer." Yes the paramount of moral guidance the insurer. Though if only they would not shell out for such evil. They should really be on our side just to save some money. Maybe I am naive, but can't a Catholic hospital give some moral guidance on this instead of shoving them off to the insurers? Or is this protection to keep from getting sued?
Regardless Cardinal O'Malley did what needed to be done.
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This is excellent news! Thanks for the post, Jester.
Thanks for the update. I don't know about all Catholic hospitals, but my local one seems very much like any regular hospital. Whenever I have been visiting someone, the most "Catholic" thing I've seen is someone bringing Communion on Sunday to patients.
Once upon a dream, Catholics built hospitals because they were needed, and religious orders staffed them. Today, perhaps many are no different than for-profit hospitals (except they are non-profit, of course), unless you look very closely - as in this insurance issue. I could be wrong, but that it how it appears to an outside casual observer. I am not aware my local hospital has any health outreach ministry for the poor. Hope it's different in other cities.
Interesting article along these lines:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n3_v34/ai_20006336/
So "Did the Martyrs get it right, after all?" ;)
Disappointed in the language used to describe the Catholics ("angry" and "loudly" and "very conservative"), but not putting a lot of faith (so to speak) in the words expressed - since they sound like they come from a reporter that may not agree with the story's ending.
Cardinal Sean - like all our Bishops - needs to be a "teacher" so that all the good people out there (and even some of the not so good) can "learn" what is right, and why. Sadly - he is not always as vocal/visible as the teacher - even if he always IS being one.
Many people just need that leader to show them how, so they can start to lead, themselves, on these issues of our Faith.
Deo gratias!
Jeff,
We are cautiously optimistic about this development. Local Boston prolife activists want to get a closer look at the arrangement. There are several statements and some secrecy that leave unanswered questions. We have got to push to get transparency on the deal.
Still, this is a major victory. if we can take the statements on face value - I believe Catholics have conscience protections they would not have had if the deal went forward in it's previosly proposed form.
Sorry, I placed this in the wrong place before:
Just for the record: How many of Boston’s “royals” Kennedys pro-abortion, commit REGULARLY public scandal-sacrilege with the Eucharist...
under O’Malley GUILTY RESPONSIBILITY, THAT MISLEADS MILLIONS INTO THINKING IS OK?