One of the most important issues that comes up in almost every class or workshop or discussion that we run as part of our Jewish Sacred Aging® program is the challenges our generation faces with health care. Too often, we hear stories of access issues, costs, insurance, caregiving challenges etc. These concerns span the socio-economic boundaries. One of our sessions deals with the texts that give a glimpse into the basic Jewish values associated with health care. The mood is that the society has the obligation to care for people in some sort of basic way.
It is obvious now that these concerns about the future of health care in the United States are going to be a major issue for the coming years. The news reports concerning the passage of a comprehensive tax cut/spending budget bill in the House of Representatives, I suggest, is the first shot in raising this issue. There is a huge amount of rhetoric as to the need to continue tax cuts, cut wasteful spending and trim the deficit.
The wholesale reduction of taxes on the federal level will impact direct services, often to the people who need it the most. Any casual reading of the social justice texts from Jewish tradition should raise alarms. This issue is not just one that impacts individuals. This health care/caregiving issue impacts families and generations.
Medicaid, according to reports, supports some 70 million Americans (of all ages) providing health insurance and long term care. It is run through the states. In a recent piece on health care, the author noted that the government spends some $600 billion for Medicaid. It reimburses states at least 50 percent of program costs. Some states get more, some less depending on the demographics. If the allotment from the government remains the same or is reduced, and less money flows to the states; and with the aging population (us) growing, then states will have to find funds to cover the growing needs. To do that, they will have to seek new revenue streams from their population. By throwing the bulk of the responsibility to states to make up for reduced federal grants, as some want, the impact would be the need to raise taxes on the state level. There is a danger here of one huge shell game.
We will witness a growing amount of debate in the coming weeks on the budget (not to mention another shut-down crises). The issue of health care, access to it and its’ costs is not theoretical to anyone reading this. With over 50 percent of the US Jewish community over the age of 50, what it will cost to grow older and be cared for is a major issue. Most of us are one medical crises away from financial challenges and our adult children have no concept what they may be asked to pay for our care.
Our tradition is firm in the idea that society has an obligation to provide a basic type of health care. Our texts and contemporary resolutions from denominations affirm this. We urge you to have these conversations, based on Jewish texts, with your congregation or organization. We will continue to keep a close eye on this issue from our position. If you have thoughts, suggestions or are running a program that speaks to this issue, please feel free to connect with us so we may learn from you. Send it to RabbiAddress@JewishSacredAging.com
Shalom,
Rabbi Richard F Address
Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff of the Union for Reform Judaism; first as a Regional Director and then, beginning in 1997, as Founder and Director of the URJ’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns and served as a specialist and consultant for the North American Reform Movement in the areas of family related programming. Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 and began his rabbinic career in Los Angeles congregations. He also served as a part time rabbi for Beth Hillel in Carmel, NJ while regional director and, after his URJ tenure, served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ from 2011-2014.
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