Friday, July 24, 2009

Catholic Health Care Demise

Judie Brown of the American Life League has a fabulous posts up about the demise of the ability of Catholic Health Care.

Judie references several disturbing situations across the nation that are worthy of your time and attention.

Most important to Boston Catholics is her reference to the current situation in the Archdiocese of Boston:

The problematic nature of such agreements, arrangements and alliances is not by any means limited to Illinois and California. It is a nationwide epidemic, rooted in the age-old dilemma of choosing between God and money. This becomes very clear when revisiting the complexities of the Boston archdiocese’s Caritas Christi mess. You may recall that American Life League was quick to commend Cardinal Sean O’Malley when the archdiocese made this announcement on June 26:

Caritas Christi Health Care, the financially challenged Catholic hospital system founded by the Archdiocese of Boston, is abruptly ending its joint venture with a Missouri-based health insurer at the insistence of Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, who has decided that the relationship represented too much of an entanglement between Catholic hospitals and abortion providers.

But, within days, we received a telephone call informing us that the agreement had actually not been cancelled. Carol McKinley reported this on her blog, which has thus far not been refuted: “Nobody (including other bishops and cardinals) is able to get details out of the cardinal about what it is he has approved. I think our Catholic pro-life force deserves to know what the actual arrangement is.”

But we do have an inkling when we consider the statement Cardinal O’Malley made, as quoted in the Boston Globe: “By withdrawing from the joint venture and serving the poor as a provider... upholding Catholic moral teaching at all times, they are able to carry forward the critical mission of Catholic health care.’’ The newspaper’s analysis: “Because Caritas will no longer be a joint owner of the insurance venture, the archdiocese is hoping that there will no longer be any question that Caritas will not financially profit from abortions, sterilizations, or other services provided by non-Catholic hospitals.”

A Caritas spokeswoman told the Globe, “This is the right way to move the distraction of the debate of ownership and allow us to be a provider.’’ Here is noted Catholic commentator Phil Lawler’s response: “A debate over involvement in killing unborn babies is a ‘distraction’ from the business of saving lives. A debate over mutilating people to make them infertile is a ‘distraction’ from the distinctive mission of Catholic health care.”

So we are left to wonder if all this means is that Caritas Christi is no longer a an official business partner of abortion providers, but still connected with them in some way. Does it mean that Catholic hospitals will continue to refer for abortion, use the morning-after pill to treat rape victims and so forth? Nobody knows!
More revelations about the Cardinal's misconduct is coming in the next several weeks.

Boston Catholics are not letting go - so stay tuned.

5 comments:

Jerry B said...

If there is no arrangement between Caritas and CeltiCare, then the Cardinal got nothing for surrendering his 49% equity. This would have to be the case, because there had been no profit before the money started flowing July 1st. In other words, CeltiCare couldn't have paid cash for the 49%. There is most likely some guarantee that CeltiCare will keep Caritas as the primary provider, hence, guaranteeing profit for Caritas.

The only moral action would have been for the Cardinal to take nothing, no agreements at all. Caritas should treat CeltiCare as it does any other insurer, billing for each service. This would show that Caritas is not doing CeltiCare any favors, not helping it stay afloat.

Had the Cardinal done the right thing, he should have been pleased to say so publicly. Hence, he has not done the right thing. There is, therefore, some arrangement that is mutually beneficial to Caritas and CeltiCare. It is a cooperative arrangement that O'Malley calls "a plan for participation in the Connector." Caritas is somehow helping to keep CeltiCare alive so both may profit. Profit from murdering the poor, that is.

TTC said...

Jerry,

You are on the right track.

I'm afraid the infusions of cash given to Caritas indicates a more sinister arrangement. The Cardinal has not pulled out of the joint venture or the contract. There was a shift in how the money flowed and the entity and bank accounts it flows to and from. The written assurances to contract with abortionists and send the women to those abortionists with oversight in compliance given to planned parenthood appears to in full force and effect. The Cardinal blew smoke in the air.

The paper trail he will not be able to legally protect and he is sitting on an atomic bomb. The lies will not prevail, by Christ and through Christ.

TTC said...

If you remember, as I have pointed out - after claiming they were broke and in dire need of cash, Caritas spent multimillions on improving their IT equipment--4o million or so, I believe. They hired over 100 more doctors and staff to assist those doctors. They spent millions on public relations campaign. If the venture whent kaphoohey, Cartias would have had to return all that cash. There is still a formal relationship with Centene that is connected to an entity and that contract. It is a matter of time before we get our hands on it and the arrangements (including financial). When we do, the fur is going to fly.

Jerry B said...

Yes, Caritas is on the hook for all that buildup. They must have more than a hunch that profits will arrive.

There is another option, which is for CeltiCare to refuse to cover all "family planning" services. That would be a great move now, while ObamaCare and conscience protections are top stories. Ignite a Catholic "White Rose Resistance." (Sorry, my imagination ran amok for a moment.)

TTC said...

Jerry,

Hey, it could happen!

Not until this Bishop is removed from this See but we did prevent him from setting up an abortion business formally. What is left can be undone. With more pushing, of course.

;O)