Health Care as a Social Good

A great strength of Health Care as a Social Good is its careful, clear explication of fundamental ideas and values undergirding competing moral and political philosophies in the US, and also of religiously-based political activism and its effects (and potential effects) on social discourse regarding health care reform. Craig's own summary thesis, that 'Health care works only if everyone is in it together,' provides a base for his thoughtful critiques and defenses of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). This book is a valuable resource for all persons struggling to understand and respond to contemporary American battles over justice and health care access. -- Jim Tubbs , professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Detroit Mercy Craig writes under the aegis of the common good, the hallmark of Catholic social ethics. But what is truly remarkable and unique about this book is its expert, detailed, and comprehensible rendering of the economic and policy intricacies of US health care and the reform debate. This is the kind of invaluable resource to which theologians and social ethicists rarely have access. Health Care as a Social Good supplies a superb model for religious engagement with the ethical and practical challenges of health care in this country. -- Lisa Sowle Cahill, Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College Craig offers a brilliant, non-partisan and non-sectarian analysis of current debates as background for his crucial argument that, beyond talk of rights or markets, the well-being of our society requires healthcare to be fairly and effectually available to all. Anyone with interest in US health policies and practices, from any perspective, will be educated, refreshed, and convinced by this book. -- Dr. Margaret Mohrmann, professor of pediatrics and medical education, University of Virginia David Craig's Health Care as a Social Good offers a unique and important perspective on the health care debate in the United States, focusing on the contributions of religious actors and religious perspectives. Conceptualizing the issues raised as a debate about the kind of society Americans want, the book examines the leading arguments in the health care reform debate, identifying their visions of justice and their core values. The book differs from other studies of health care reform by drawing on the stories of health care experienced by patients and it helpfully avoids ideological labeling. The concluding chapter imagines how conversations around religious values, such as the Catholic model of the common good, might shape the organization of US health care moving forward. I recommend the book to all those who want to understand the fundamental values at stake in the healthcare reform debate. -- Audrey R. Chapman, Joseph M. Healey, Jr. chair, Medical Humanities and Bioethics, University of Connecticut Health Center

Argues that as escalating costs absorb a greater percentage of family income and government budgets, it is through the implementation of religious values that Americans can create a more community-based system.David M. Craig traveled across the United States to assess health care access, delivery and finance in this country. He interviewed religious hospital administrators and interfaith activists, learning how they balance the values of economic efficiency and community accountability. He met with conservatives, liberals, and moderates, reviewing their ideas for market reform or support for the Affordable Care Act. He discovered that health care in the US is not a private good or a public good. Decades of public policy and philanthropic service have made health care a shared social good. Health Care as a Social Good: Religious Values and the American Democracy argues that as escalating health costs absorb more and more of family income and government budgets, we need to take stock of the full range of health care values to create a different and more affordable community-based health care system. Transformation of that system is a national priority but Americans have failed to find a way to work together that bypasses our differences. Craig insists that community engagement around the common religious conviction that healing is a shared responsibility can help us achieve this transformation -- one that will not only help us realize a new and better system, but one that reflects the ideals of American democracy and the common good.