Pope’s focus on the poor means changing how we think about healthcare

As Pope Francis makes his first visit to the United States this week, he has made it a priority to meet those who are impoverished among us and to elevate the importance of changing systems and structures to better meet their needs. For example, he will spend time today with homeless individuals in Washington, D.C. as they eat what might be their only meal that day.

This personal visit underscores the work of the Catholic Church to serve those most in need — around the world and right here in our own communities. For those of us with a vocation in healthcare, this is especially poignant, as we work every day to care for those who are struggling.

{mosads}The Pope is challenging us to change how we think about health and wellness. He is calling on us to provide all people with access to healthcare, whether they are sick or well, old or young — whether or not they can afford to pay.

And the Catholic health ministry in the United States is uniquely qualified to answer his call. Together, we are the largest group of non-profit healthcare providers in the country. One in six patients in the U.S. is cared for in a Catholic hospital or system. That means we have a responsibility and an obligation to lead the way in changing how we deliver care. 

In an effort to fulfill this obligation to the Pope and those we serve, Ascension is committed to a mission to transform healthcare in a way that provides compassionate, personalized care, especially for those who are struggling. We are advocates for a compassionate and just society through our actions and our words. And we join Pope Francis in acknowledging healthcare is a fundamental human right — not reserved for a few, but for all.

We must begin by acknowledging that our current U.S. healthcare system is not fully optimized. Since World War II, we’ve created a set of health financing policies and cobbled together pieces of models of care from other parts of the world. The result is a complicated and fragmented system focused more on financing than care, coverage and wellness.

If you’re older than 65 in this country, you’re in a model very similar to the national health model in Canada, where virtually everyone participates, it has low administrative fees, the government is the insurer and everybody pays into it. If you’re younger than 65, you’re in a model that’s very similar to Germany, Japan or France, where employees or employers pay premiums, and insurance companies pay the bills and pass on co-pays and deductibles, as well as sometimes a percentage of the bill, to the patient.

If you’re a Native American or a military veteran, you’re in a model that’s very similar to the National Health Service in Great Britain, where all hospitals are owned by the government, physicians are employed by the government, and no one gets a bill. And if you’re uninsured, you’re actually in a model that you’ll see in the poorest parts of the world, where if you don’t have money and access to care you’re either going to stay sick, injured, or die, unless you are lucky enough to avail yourself of charity care.

To address this fragmented and inefficient system, it’s time for us as a society to step back. Let’s decide what we want for every man, woman and child in this country, and then let’s design a system around that.

As a compassionate and just society, let’s use the historic visit of Pope Francis to the United States and his focus on service to the poor to inspire our work in healthcare. Let’s challenge ourselves and others in the healthcare industry to commit to caring for those who are struggling and to continue to care even when we can no longer cure. Let’s incentivize and proactively encourage preventative care, quality primary care, and effective end-of-life care. Only then can we truly provide compassionate, personalized care for all.

Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, is president and chief executive officer of Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system.