Hooray for Health Care

I'm glad that the Health Care bill passed last night. Although it isn't perfect, it is a large step forward in making cost-effective health care available to everyone. My own preference would be medicare for everyone. But that doesn't seem possible at this moment, given the highly partisan divisions in congress.

I see several spiritual issues woven into health care. First, there is a close interrelationship between physical and spiritual health. That's why we need to take good care of our bodies by eating well and exercising regularly. Any spirituality that devalues physical health is misguided. Good health care focuses on both preventative care and sick care. Without access to good health care, we not only put our bodies at risk, but also our souls.

Secondly, there is a spiritual issue in the conflict between "what's best for me" and the greater good. Often, doing what's best for the many will result in sacrifices for the few. Paying more taxes to provide health care for 32 million more persons is a small sacrifice for the greater good.

Thirdly, even though spiritual health isn't an explicit part of health care, we need to include it. If we are paying attention to our spiritual health and doing those things that feed our souls, our overall health will improve. Because we are a unity of mind/body/soul the health of one aspect affects the others. Our health is a precious gift. Too often, we don't realize how precious until we lose it.