TBT is an ecumenical, faith centered group of men and women who recognize that Christ has called his people to be the light of the world. Our goal is to help the poor and do works of mercy. One of those works is to make health care available to those who need it. Unfortunately our current health care system does not adequately meet the needs of the uninsured and underinsured. It may be that there are many reasons why health care in America has failed to care for the poor. But the fact is that God’s people have never been absolved of the responsibility to care for the poor and needy. It is also a great truth that the church- the community of faith- can meet many of these needs through intelligent and careful use of its resources.
TBT understands that the problems with healthcare exist both on the local and national level. While much of our attention is focused on how to address the local needs we also hope to demonstrate that there are better models for health care than those that we see.
On a national level getting care for everyone will require improvements in our health care financing and delivery systems. Among our members and friends are people who have learned the art of medicine, the administration of health care facilities, and the business of insurance. We believe that by God’s grace we will be able to make the needed improvements. We know that in the United States the problem is a failure to include everyone in a system that makes health care services available regardless of employment or insurance. In other countries the total lack of money, physicians, and facilities are the underlying causes of failure to provide health care to everyone. We do not lack these things in our country, so we should be able to care for everyone. We want to use our best knowledge and skill to fix what is wrong in each community we serve. We have begun this work in Houston, Texas but hope to see a model that will change health care in America:
We believe that it is possible to structure physician groups in such a way that they can deliver efficient care without the influence of large insurance agencies. These insurance agencies and the burocracy that surround them consume a large piece of the health care dollar. Local physician groups can deliver excellent care at a reasonable cost. The monies saved in effective administration can be used to meet the needs of those in the community who do not have coverage.
One of the expected problems in reaching our goal of reform is the natural inclination people have to acquire material wealth. Having more income and saving on expenses are the two most obvious ways to achieve this naturally desired wealth. In health care that means doctors usually want more income while patients and their insurers want to pay less in fees. Because most people in the United States use insurance systems for funding health care these natural inclinations must be controlled. Insurance is budgeting and sharing costs. If it is to be the way in which health care is financed, then the patients and their employers who pay fees, and physicians and hospitals who receive fees, must together accept primary responsibility for budget management. Neither can shift budget management to a third party such as an insurer. That shift, which has been characteristic of the health care system in the United States, causes the insurers to take a much greater portion of the available health care funds than distribution of funds and accounting requires. It has led to systems of third party control that interfere with the rights of patients and physicians.
Solutions come from actions based on the virtues of love, peace, truth, tolerance, and cooperation. The virtues listed have been included the incorporated name of Tomorrow’s Bread Today. It is a reminder of who we must be to reach our goals.