Universal. Affordable. Complete. When it comes to healthcare, people want all the bases covered. Employers, governments, and organizational leaders all hear demands for this kind of coverage from their people, as well as for guarantees that the coverage will run smoothly all the time.

The more I've followed discussions on healthcare, the more convinced I've become that the real answer to costly, inconvenient health problems and the worry that accompanies them comes through understanding the spiritual basis of life. Physical health and peace of mind aren't actually goals so much as they're results—results of knowing what your relationship to God is. Of discovering that we belong to Him and that He cares for us.

At one point during my wife's recent pregnancy, her ankles got very swollen. She was increasingly uncomfortable whenever she wore shoes. It wasn't a big problem, but it was inconvenient for her, and potentially for her family and coworkers because she could have missed work. She and I decided to pray. Behind our prayers was the understanding that God loved us and was showing us a life that amounted to complete spiritual freedom.

We didn't pray for smaller ankles. We prayed for a stronger commitment to think and act spiritually—regarding not just her pregnancy but our whole concept of life. We were praying to see the baby's development and our own spiritual development as parents in a much more spiritual light. Together, we shifted to seeing this baby as belonging to God. We expected that this change in thought would help us see evidence of God's care. That it would also help us realize more clearly that His creation is perfect. And that problems associated with the pregnancy would then drop away.

Well, the swelling in her ankles disappeared within hours! My wife got the help she needed.

To me, this is a small example of how we all, together, can find the spiritual way of living that includes health.

As one person overcomes health problems mentally—through seeing more of the unlimited spiritual life, it encourages others that they can do the same. My wife and I, her co-workers, and even people who knew nothing about her situation, were touched by what took place. Home and work schedules never had to be interrupted. We didn't have to spend time and money trying to find a specialist, make an appointment, or receive treatment. But deeper than any of this was the movement of thought that made a healthy, spiritual life more realistic for everyone.

Jesus said that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). A deep consideration of what this "heaven" means, and of where it's found, presents wonderful possibilities. Heaven is God's harmony—His orderly control of everything. Heaven makes guaranteed healthcare a reality. The many healings Jesus performed are signs of this. The Bible says that this freedom or salvation is available "now," and furthermore, that it is a "free gift" (see, for example, II Cor. 6:2 and Rom. 5:15–18).

God's "free gift" is for everyone, and it covers every need. God has given us each a spiritual nature that is like Him in terms of characteristics—and a life that includes health, peace, happiness, security, and satisfaction. Complete well-being. God is Spirit, and Spirit is the source of well-being. As we see that the basis for existence is spiritual rather than material and live with this concept, we will begin to find more certain, permanent, health.

Praying—focusing on God—keeps us in tune with our spiritual identity. It's a way of thinking and acting that comes complete with all we need and that's universally available. Furthermore, it's a team effort, in that one individual's efforts to recognize life's spiritual basis helps another's, and vice versa. Together, we find that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

A truly universal health coverage will result from seeing each other in more spiritual ways—as made to have the perfect nature of God at all times. The prayers and commitment of one or two people, or of whole groups, support this transformation. Sickness, disease, stress, and anger will become increasingly abnormal. We'll be less distracted, and we'll be more and more productive. "Right thinking and right acting, physical and moral harmony, come with Science, and the secret of its presence lies in the universal need of better health and morals" (Mary Baker Eddy, No and Yes, p. 18).

Health is a universal need. A commitment to understanding the spiritual basis of life, answers that need, bringing health, peace, and inspiration, along with additional rewards to families, businesses, sports teams, and nations. Everyone benefits, and all the bases get covered.