Editorial July 11, 1988 Issue

Truly universal care

Michael D. Rissler

Universal care is a concept whose time has come, although response to the concept comes in many forms. In the United States, one response has been that a state legislature passed a bill recently, which provides that all employed persons will have minimum health-insurance coverage. Of course, most major businesses already provide such coverage for their employees, but the intent of the state is to have coverage extended to all its citizens and not to just a portion of them—regardless of how large that portion is.

In a relatively wealthy society, in which one measure of wealth is the care that is provided to individuals when they are ill, it does seem unconscionable that some would be left outside the circle of care to which many others have access. There is a profound and humane impulse that moves people in many countries to provide for their citizens.

Not unrelated, however, to this important question, Christian Science redefines and extends the spiritual potential of truly universal health care. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, rejected the common belief that some human beings are meant by God to have a better lot in life than others. In contrast to the religious doctrine of predestination and various social and economic theories that clearly divided people into haves and have-nots, she wrote and preached and taught that God, divine Love, is universal in His lovingkindness.

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