Greetings,

I am Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr., the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, one of the oldest and largest Holiness-Pentecostal denominations in the world, with an estimated membership of six million people in fifty-seven nations across the globe.  Based on our understanding of the Holy Scriptures it is not only our mandate to encourage men and women to come into right relationship with their Creator, but also to proclaim and advocate justice and compassion throughout all creation.

“Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.  
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
Prov 31:8-9  NKJV

We are here today to speak on behalf of millions of Americans who cannot afford or obtain adequate health insurance.

In this the richest country in the world thirty million Americans are without health insurance coverage.  Because of this, they and their children face untold hardship and unnecessary suffering. Millions more have health insurance that is defective and inadequate. In the midst of a health crisis, they face limited benefits that leave them exposed and unable to afford care. Insurance companies drop coverage or refuse to pay a sufficient share of the cost of their care. For others it is just when they are most financially vulnerable, facing long term unemployment or joining the ranks of the self-employed or under-employed, that ample and adequate health insurance is unavailable to them.

According to New York Times writer Reed Abelson (September 18, 2009 issue), Harvard Medical School researchers “say lack of insurance can be linked to about 45,000 deaths a year in the United States.”  And that, “People without health insurance had a 40 percent higher risk of death than those with private health insurance – as a result of being unable to obtain necessary medical care.”

In support of the President’s effort to provide healthcare for every American, the leadership of the Church of God in Christ is here to advocate for the fundamentals of health insurance reform: universal coverage, portability and limits on the exclusion of coverage for pre-existing conditions. These reforms will not only serve the needs of the uninsured, but will benefit those who already have health insurance by holding down costs, and ensuring stable, high quality coverage for all.

In accord with our commitment to Christian teaching, we wholeheartedly affirm the President’s position that medical costs related to the abortion of fetuses shall not be covered by health care plans funded by this initiative.

It is critical that Congress pass a plan that will obligate insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and other relevant stakeholders to be more accountable.  We also strongly believe that a public non-profit option is essential towards this end. We endorse the requirement that all individuals carry basic health insurance, provided that the government recognizes hardship waivers where necessary and provides sliding-scale tax credits for the needy. We are convinced of the need for immediate low cost coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. Furthermore it is our position that businesses that do not provide coverage for their workers should help bear the cost of these workers’ health insurance, though we recognize the need for special allowances for small business owners.

The Church of God in Christ calls upon the other major Black denominations, and our brothers and sisters of all races in their major denominations and the rest of the faith community to set a moral example which moves our country beyond the noise of racial division and partisanship by supporting President Obama’s courageous initiative to address this vital issue. People of faith all over this country have a responsibility to stand for the millions who suffer from a lack of adequate heath insurance by pleading the cause of the needy, and raising their voices in support of the President’s health care reform agenda.