HR 3200 - Prayer is Not Medical Care

Sign the Petition : 786 Letters and Emails Sent So Far

Tucked into the health care reform bill passed by Sen. Harkin’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee is a mandate that insurers reimburse for “religious or spiritual health care” that is classified as a deductible medical care expense by the Internal Revenue Service. See S.1679, Section 3103(a)(1)(D).

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on which Congressman Bruce Braley sits has added a similar measure to the House health care reform bill. See Section 125 of HR3200.

If the federal government forces the insurance industry to pay for prayer, the Christian Science church and other faith healing practitioners will use the federal law as another argument that Christian Science “treatment” or prayer should be a legal substitute for medical care of sick children.

Between 1 and 5 children currently die in the United States, per month, from religiously-motivated medical neglect. If the Congress passes into law these provisions equating prayer with medical care, this number will surely increase.

There will be more laws like West Virginia’s religious defense to fatal neglect of a child when parents withhold medical care and instead rely on prayer-treatment “if fees and expenses incurred in connection with such treatment are permitted to be deducted from taxable income as ‘medical expenses’ pursuant to regulations or rules promulgated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. (West Virginia Code 61-8D-4a(b)).

Iowa’s religious defense to felony child endangerment and manslaughter at Iowa Code 726.6(d) has been justified on similar grounds.

The government should not be forcing anyone to pay for prayer. We urge Congress to remove all provisions in the health care reform bills that require insurers to reimburse for prayer or any other “health care” that is not evidence-based.		HR 3200 - Prayer is Not Medical Care

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People signing the "HR 3200 - Prayer is Not Medical Care" petition!

  1. Mon., Feb. 8, 2010 5:31 PM    link donald k. | Las Vegas, NV

    this whole thing is ridiculous.talk about a waste of tax payer dollars.

  2. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  3. Mon., Feb. 8, 2010 10:14 AM    link michelle l. | Vassar, MI

  4. Fri., Feb. 5, 2010 8:28 PM    link Francis K. | Woonsocket, RI

    This is a crime!

  5. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  6. Thu., Feb. 4, 2010 12:02 AM    link Lisa T. | Lancaster, PA

  7. Mon., Feb. 1, 2010 12:42 AM    link Name not displayed | Lebanon, MO

  8. Wed., Jan. 27, 2010 6:13 PM    link Name not displayed | Mims, FL

    Man dies sitting in chair waiting 8 months for God to heal him.

    http://jonathanturley.org/2009/12/10/man-dies-after-sitting-in-chair-for-eight-months-waiting-to-be-healed-by-god/

  9. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  10. Wed., Jan. 27, 2010 1:38 PM    link Name not displayed | Colfax, WI

  11. Tue., Jan. 26, 2010 6:04 AM    link Name not displayed | Taylors, SC

    All shall be held to the same laws no matter what no child should ever die because the parent or parents do not seek out a doctor when the child becomes sick i urge that all parents be made accountable for any neglect thay do to their children god or no god thank you

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  13. Sat., Jan. 23, 2010 3:44 PM    link Earl G B. | Aurora, IL

    Too many children have died because their parents relied on prayer rather than modern medicine. Even one is too many.

  14. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  15. Sat., Jan. 23, 2010 12:23 AM    link Sonny T. | Omaha, NE

    This insanity must be stopped. There is absolutely no evidence that prayer has any effect in the real world.
    Anyone considered a minor should not be denied medical care due to their parents ignorance.

  16. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  17. Fri., Jan. 22, 2010 9:40 PM    link Shannon L. | Everett, WA

    children shouldn't suffer for the beliefs of their parents. some of these children die in extreme pain. while i believe people have a right to their spirituality, children, who cannot advocate for themselves and are unable to voice their opinions, shouldn't die for their parents beliefs. as there currently isn't a way to prevent this, I certainly don't want to federally support this with insurance reinbursement as any kind of complicity in the deaths of these children.

  18. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  19. Thu., Jan. 21, 2010 4:40 AM    link Aleksander W. | ,

    Religious greed has no boundry

  20. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  21. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 9:08 PM    link James H. | Bakersfield, CA

    Good Lord! It's not the middle ages!

  22. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  23. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 8:48 PM    link William P. | Orlando, FL

  24. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 7:11 PM    link Linda D. | Saint Petersburg, FL

    We are living in the 21st century. I am appalled by the thought that prayer would be considered, even after the reports we have of people (and children) that die every year needlessly because they didn't receive adequate medical care. What happened to separation of church and state. If the religious yahoos want to pray when they or a relative gets sick, fine. Let them do it on their own, but it is NOT and never will be a substitute for a real doctor. Don't you even think of sending someone to pray over me when I'm sick. If I'm able I'll slap 'em silly.

  25. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  26. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 7:09 PM    link Kelsey W. | Sanford, NC

  27. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 7:03 PM    link Michael B. | Hedgesville, WV

  28. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 7:00 PM    link Victoria V. | Jersey City, NJ

    This is dangerous and absolutely unnecessary. If people want to pray for the sick already receiving proper medical care, that's fine. But under no circumstances should prayer be considered a medicinal practice!!!!

  29. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  30. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 6:55 PM    link Viviana M. | Beloit, WI

  31. Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 5:22 PM    link Name not displayed | Federal Way, WA

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