Morna Murray, President of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, released the following statement as representatives of the health insurance industry meet in Washington today for an annual policy conference.

“Isn't it time we agreed it is simply unacceptable for anyone in America to be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition or arbitrary annual limits of what an insurance company decides is good for its own profits?” said Murray, who recently worked on healthcare issues for Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. “Is such a system good for Americans?  Is it good for vulnerable low-income and working class families and children?  It is good for one thing and one thing only -- health insurance industry profits.  This does not serve the common good.”

A recent Goldman Sachs analysis has found that competition in the insurance market is so weak that companies can raise rates without fear of losing customers. Catholics in Alliance supports the effort of the Administration to publicly challenge the CEOs of UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc., Aetna Inc., Health Care Service Corporation and CIGNA HealthCare Inc. to explain skyrocketing premiums. Fifteen thousand people each day lose their insurance. In California, Michigan, Maine, Connecticut and Oregon the insurance industry is proposing double digit rate increases.

“Catholics and all citizens in these states and across the country deserve better.” Murray added. “The private market alone has proven it can’t guarantee quality and affordable care. Health care is a human right, not a luxury for the privileged few. After all these months of rhetoric and misstatements from those who benefit from the status quo, surely Americans know that the right thing to do is to reform this badly broken system.”

Faith-based organizations have played an important role over the past year promoting healthcare reform as an urgent moral priority and practical necessity. Catholics in Alliance launched Voices for Health Reform, a campaign to collect the personal experiences of families struggling with healthcare challenges and delivered them to members of Congress. The Alliance partnered with Faith in Public Life, Sojourners, PICO National Network and other faith-based organizations as part of a 40 Days for Health Reform initiative last summer that culminated with a national conference call with religious leaders and President Obama. Over 300,000 people took part in this event. Catholics in Alliance continues to promote comprehensive health care, and recently sent a letter to President Obama and Congressional leadership urging action on healthcare reform.

You can read the letter here: http://www.catholicsinalliance.org/node/21433

To learn more about Voices for Health Reform please visit http://www.catholicsinalliance.org/health-care