The College of Bishops of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Calls for Health Care Reform with a Public Option
St. Louis, MO - The ability of every citizen of our nation to receive adequate and affordable Health Care is a moral imperative. As a matter of justice and fairness for all, we can no longer allow for big business and special interest to derail the process of meeting this critical need of the American people. Most of us know that something must be done soon to protect our children, our elders, our sick and all who need immediate attention for their health care needs. There are nearly 50 million Americans without health care insurance. We need a plan that would end discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions and prevent insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most. The public option will provide the uninsured with a cost effective choice. This is why we support the Health Care Reform Bill with a public option as expressed by President Barack Obama.
The vast majority of people with existing health care services are underinsured with extraordinary deductibles. The increasingly transitional job market and the need to address general public wellness and disease prevention on an individual basis compound the problem. This translates into the rise of chronic disease among children as early as eight years old and causes their elderly grandparents to have to choose between food and medicine. This state of affairs in one of the wealthiest and most advanced nations in the world is immoral and unacceptable. As the United States is the only industrialized nation without a comprehensive health plan for every citizen, we know that we can and we must provide fair and affordable health care for every American.
For nearly a century, national leaders have called for an overhaul of the health care system. Yet, instead of significant change, we have received stagnation and compromise. We have expended billions of dollars to protect American interests abroad and corporate interests at home. We must now recognize the significant potential return on the investment in our health care system.
After one hundred years of trying, we are yet left saying like Jeremiah the prophet, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
We ask all CME’s and other concerned Americans to write and call their congressional representatives both in the House and the Senate to express support for a Health Care Reform Bill with a Public Option.
The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, under the leadership of Senior Bishop William H. Graves and its College of Bishops, is a 138-year old historically African American Christian denomination with more than 800,000 members across the United States, and has missions and sister churches in Haiti, Jamaica, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For additional information about the CME Church, visit www.c-m-e.org .

Senior Bishop William H. Graves, Sr., CEO
Bishop Othal H. Lakey
Bishop Edward Lynn Brown
Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr.
Bishop Paul A. G. Stewart, Sr.
Bishop L. L. Reddick, III, Secretary, College of Bishops
Bishop Henry M. Williamson, Sr., Chairman of Social Justice & Human Concerns
Bishop Ronald M. Cunningham
Bishop Thomas L. Brown, Sr., Chairman, College of Bishops
Bishop Kenneth W. Carter
Bishop Dotcy I. Isom, Jr.
Bishop Marshall Gilmore
Bishop Nathaniel Linsey