A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform (1993)

A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform: Protecting Human Life, Promoting Human Dignity, Pursuing the Common Good 

Issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, June 18, 1993

The U.S. health care system is unjust, serving too few and costing too much. Reform is a moral imperative, not just an economic challenge. Every person has a right to adequate health care, rooted in the sanctity of life and human dignity. Health care reform must combine universal access, cost control, and protection of life and dignity. The bishops urge national leaders to act beyond partisan interests and prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable. Reform is a matter of justice and life itself.

Key Principles

• Health Care as a Human Right: Access should not depend on income, employment, or location.
• Social Justice & Common Good: Current inequities harm the poor and vulnerable; reform must prioritize them.
• Stewardship: Rising costs strain families and society; waste and inefficiency must be addressed.

Criteria for Reform

• Respect for Life: Protect life from conception to natural death.
• Priority for the Poor: Ensure quality care for underserved communities.
• Universal Access: Comprehensive health care for all residents.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Preventive care, treatment, chronic illness, and end-of-life care.
• Pluralism: Involve public, private, and religious sectors; respect ethical values.
• Quality: Promote standards and informed consumer participation.
• Cost Control: Reduce waste and inefficiency.
• Equitable Financing: Fund access fairly, based on ability to pay.

Policy Priorities

• Universal Access & Rapid Inclusion of Poor: No two-tier system; link poor and working-class families to broader coverage.
• Respect for Life: Oppose abortion and euthanasia as health benefits; protect conscience rights.
• Common Good & Pluralism: Avoid partisan conflict; safeguard religious institutions from coercion.
• Cost Restraint: Essential for affordability and economic stability.

health-care-comprehensive-care.pdf