Even with expansive supports, there are some who will never be able to work, due to disability, age or illness, and government must help these individuals live in dignity. Since life and health are gifts from God, the Catechism of the Catholic Church directs Catholics to guard those gifts. Its primary role is to assure access to healthcare services to citizens who lack it and to pay the fair cost of those services. Beyond that, government should oversee the healthcare market to ensure safety and quality, and to correct any deficiency. When individuals and families are denied access to treatment, minor ailments can develop into serious, costly and even life-threatening conditions.
Many policies also place restrictions on access to mental health and substance abuse treatment.
The Catholic voter should consider a candidate's position on access to affordable health care. Healthcare services should never include services which destroy life, whether mandatory contraception, abortion or euthanasia. Too many individuals and families have been forced into a haphazard system of public shelters or living on the streets. Government policy should also address the need to provide supportive services and health care to help aging New Yorkers and those with disabilities to live in their communities, rather than being forced into nursing homes for expensive care. We hope the Jubilee Year 2000 marks a new beginning in the way policy makers view debt relief, bringing new attention to the role debt relief can play in promoting human development in the poorest countries.