We are constantly told that "bi-partisanship" is a goal worth achieving at any costs. It is the sine qua non of good governance. If only this president were able to achieve that all would be right with the world.
In pursuit of that goal, he and his followers make all sorts of concessions and consider all sorts of proposals. It doesn't matter that Baucus got no one to stand with him on his committee's version of health care. What matters is he labored mightily with people to get a bipartisan solution.
By this standard, anything that has the support of John Kerry and Orrin Hatch should be considered a model of success, and a slam dunk when it comes to health care,right?
As if there isn't enough to consider, these guys are seriously trying to figure a way to include a provision in the Senate version to provide compensation for "spiritual health care" providers. If think this is just some extension of mental health care, you would be mistaken. The main proponents of this provision are leaders from the Church of Christ, Scientist. That's right, the Christian Scientists want people who reject such ludicrous interventions as vaccines, antibiotics, heart surgery, hip replacements, and bone setting to be reimbursed for people who spend their precious time praying for their return to good health.
After all, why be hypocritical? The IRS allows prayer treatments to be itemized on income tax forms as medical expenses. If it's good enough for the IRS why should the rest of the government oppose it? Even the healthcare for military families, Tricare, reimburse for prayer. And you thought it didn't pay to pray. Silly rabbit.
If you think this is some bizarre fringe belief, think again. No less a mainstream national leader than Glenn Beck has asked people to protect him and his staff with their prayers. He was pretty clear when he said:
I would ask you for one thing, please keep me in your prayers, keep my staff in your prayers for safety... Just pray for protection please."
It obviously has been working. Last time I checked, no one has attacked him. Well, besides his appendix and his hemmoroids, but people prayed and he got better. What better evidence do you want that this works? I don't want to seem petty...but where do I send my bill? I assure you it will be reasonable. I won't even bill the cost of praying for his staff. We'll consider them dependents. Of course, if no one is going to reimburse us, don't act surprised when we stop praying and something terrible happens to Beck and his staff. Look what happened to his appendix the last time he was late on the payments.
Besides the medical virtue of this, there is also an economic benefit. As Phil Davis, a spokesman for the church points out
You have to look at the spiraling cost of health care, and you look at the low cost and positive results of spiritual care. How could you leave that out?
It's difficult to argue with such hard-nosed thinking. I mean, look at the savings. Well, the financial savings at any rate. And isn't that what it's all about? Do we really want to burden our children with the cost of health care when we can give them the gift of prayer for a fraction of the cost?
When you look at it that way you have to admit the offer sounds like a bargain. All they are asking for is a paltry $20 to $40 cost per prayer, according to this report buried in the Washington Post. Gone are the expensive and worthless lab tests. Gone are the expensive and inconvenient office visits. Gone are the expensive and complex procedures one associates with modern medical treatment. Colon cancer? No problem, pray it away. Even if you have to pray it away twice a week, $2,000 is a small price to pay compared to the cost of a colonoscopy and associated lab tests. Don't even think of asking what the surgery would cost.
Now I realize some of the trial lawyers will get in the act and point out the liability issue here. But let's be fair. It's been over 20 years since a Christian Scientist was prosecuted for killing a child by treating with prayer instead of medicine. Their malpractice insurance is very low compared to the white-coated barbaric practitioners of the dark arts commonly referred to as "pediatrics" or "obstetrics" currently roaming our "hospitals" and providing "medical care" to children. Don't even get me started on those chest-cracking crazies who toy with the human heart like some latter-day Aztec priest.
I'm sure this bipartisan proposal will get all sorts of attention in the coming weeks. After all, Kerry and Hatch aren't spending precious time on this for political considerations. It's about the children. Let's pray Lieberman supports it. That way he can claim it has tri-partisan support. Unfortunately, we will have to prepare for the obvious response of the Lieberman-hating crowd. They will bog down this innovative proposal in debate while others argue for provisions covering Santeria and Voodoo. All I can say is let's pray this proposal gets the attention it deserves.