The Rev. Clint McCoy, Synod Executive for Partnerships, shared with the presbyteries the attached information that can be used as a bulletin insert should you wish to do so.

The church has an opportunity to make a difference in the healthcare debate, to encourage legislators to work towards creating a bill successfully that will provide 1) continued security to those who currently have healthcare coverage in an era when costs have been escalating, and 2) healthcare coverage to the nearly fifty million Americans who have no coverage and are at risk of being pushed into, or held in, poverty because of illness.

Attached please is a bulletin insert which the Synod of the Northeast made available for your use in any way you see fit in your congregation and community conversations. While the Presbyterian Church (USA) has gone on record in favor of a single-payer system, and the insert honors that decision and the actions of Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons in sharing the PC(USA) perspective with the US Congress, the attached insert also supports proposals such as the President's which, while introducing an option of public coverage, builds on the current insurance system rather than starting from scratch with a single-payer system, all in the interest of preserving quality healthcare for those who have it, and providing quality healthcare for those who do not.

Please share with others the ways you use the insert. Your comments can be posted below.

Thank you.

Kevin