We are thankful for each member who responded to recent emails, letters, and phone calls by praying and contacting your elected representatives. We are very encouraged and believe God is blessing these efforts to make an impact on the health care debate. We need to persevere, remembering that, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”
We continue to pray that the Body of Christ will be awakened to the dangers that are looming and will seek out the truth that is being ignored in much of the information the public is receiving.
A few Samaritan members have called our office, asking if the passage of HR 3962 in the U.S. House of Representatives means we will no longer be sharing needs. The short answer is “Keep sending to the needs assigned to you!” There are a variety of health care scenarios that could play out in the coming months and years, and we are going to need to be both vigilant and patient.
The health care ‘reform’ process is far from over. There are still many ways for God to intervene. We need to continue depending on Him and taking action where we can. Please continue to pray that God would stop the legislation in its current form. Please also continue to contact your representatives, especially your U.S. Senators, to express your concerns.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has presented a bill in the U.S. Senate that combines elements of the bills from the Senate Finance Committee and the HELP Committee. The widely reported vote of the Senate on November 20th was merely a procedural step that allowed the Senate to begin consideration of the “health reform” bill when the Senate reconvenes after its Thanksgiving break.
There is some good news in that there is language giving individual members of health care sharing ministries an exemption from the requirement to have health insurance. However, this protection did not include businesses and ministries of 50 employees or more (such as Samaritan Ministries) who use a health care sharing ministry for the health care needs of their employees. There is also a provision that would seem to promote abortion.
A majority of the senators voting would have to approve any amendments. Then 60 senators would have to agree to allow it to come to a final vote.
If the Senate passes a bill, it would go to a conference committee, where members of the House of Representatives and the Senate would put together a bill that would combine it with the bill the House has already passed. The bill from the conference committee would then have to be approved by both houses.
As you can see, there will be many opportunities for various provisions to be added or taken out. Many things will not be certain until the very end. It will be important for us to be praying and contacting our elected officials at every point along the way. We will need to be prepared to act quickly, and at the same time be prepared for a very long, drawn-out process.
In the bills proposed thus far, individuals will not be required to have health insurance until 2013. Until then, there will still be time to make additional appeals, while continuing to bear one another’s burdens with prayers, encouragement, and gifts.
