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"Prayer Treatments" Would Be Covered Under Healthcare Bill

latimes.com — The measure would put Christian Science prayer treatments -- which substitute or supplement medical treatments -- on the same footing as clinical medicine. The provision was inserted by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) with the support of Democrat Sens. John Kerry and the late Edward Kennedy -- both of Massachusetts, home to the Christian Science headquarters.

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  • nepidae, on 11/03/2009, -2/+193"Critics say it violates the separation of church and state."

    Personally I'm much more concerned about the confusion between science and magic...
  • GreatSunJester, on 11/03/2009, -4/+127No. No... and No. Federally funded healthcare MUST be based in science (IMHO), NOT based in faith.
  • TAGline, on 11/03/2009, -2/+115How does faith healing require money? Does God take Visa, or is he strictly cash only?
  • JigoroKano, on 11/03/2009, -5/+93For $20 you can talk to my imaginary friend.
  • KenSPT, on 11/03/2009, -0/+72I'm an Athiest, is that now considered a pre-existing condition?
  • metaphid, on 11/03/2009, -2/+71Morons. We've elected nothing but morons.
  • weirdralph, on 11/03/2009, -1/+62FTA: While not mentioning the church by name, it would prohibit discrimination against "religious and spiritual healthcare."

    So... would that mean exorcisms would also be covered?

    "Paging Doctor Merrin and Doctor Karras... Please report to the ER, stat!"
  • Endrian, on 11/03/2009, -2/+56I'm Christian, and this is unbelievably stupid.
  • BRod1, on 11/03/2009, -0/+51Will voodoo rituals and alien-probing sessions also be covered? Just saying...
  • bassstud09, on 11/03/2009, -0/+39Will my witchdoctor visits also be covered?
  • CaptTu, on 11/03/2009, -3/+40Not no... but hell no.

    I put forth that if faith based healing and prayer worked... every hospital in the world would be empty.
  • inajeep, on 11/03/2009, -2/+39"Phil Davis, a senior Christian Science Church official, said prayer treatment was an effective alternative to conventional healthcare."

    No it is not. No citation is given or will be found to support that falsehood.
  • trolleyfan, on 11/03/2009, -0/+29Tell you what, if prayer goes through (and passes) full FDA clinical trials for effectiveness and safety, *then* we can pay for it.
  • Hetman, on 11/03/2009, -3/+32Christian scientists are crazy. Regardless of health care they are still only going to use prayer to save themself. They would rather see there own kids die than seek medical help.
  • GODdestroyer, on 11/03/2009, -2/+30In a scientific study, patients that knew they were being prayed for did worse than patients that didn't know.
    "In the end, the group that knew it was being prayed for did worse than the other two groups in terms of post-operative complications."
    Citation: http://blogs.exoduspodcasts.com/2009/05/24/scienti ...
    Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/31pray.ht ...

    Because of this, I ask my Mom not to tell me when she prays for me.
  • coheedcollapse, on 11/03/2009, -1/+28Do they also cover trepanation and blood-letting therapy? I will not be discriminated against!

    Bring me my bucket of leeches. I need to rid my body of the evil spirit causing my stomach to ache.
  • Nitrodist88, on 11/03/2009, -1/+27"Their job, as outlined by the church's founder, Mary Baker Eddy, was to pray for healing and charge for treatment at rates similar to those of medical doctors."

    WOW, LOL. That's amazing. Trying to charge for prayer at rates similar to those of medical doctors! O... M... F.... G!
  • Hetman, on 11/03/2009, -4/+29Religion convinced the world that there's an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do. And there's 10 things he doesn't want you to do or else you'll go to a burning place with a lake of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you! ...And he needs money! He's all powerful, but he can't handle money!

    GC

  • allfatherblack, on 11/03/2009, -4/+28I hadn't thought of that. Your respective God help us all if we have to start paying for ignorant fools to try and exorcise homosexuality out of their loved ones... ***** religion makes people dumb...
  • elliotys, on 11/03/2009, -1/+25I don't care if they want to pray instead of recieve medical care, but why on earth is there a monitary charge for that?
  • diggduggDOOM, on 11/03/2009, -4/+28Under the current system, an insurance company can refuse to cover a specific treatment (that the insurance company, not the doctor, deem unnecessary or too expensive).
  • PopcornDave, on 11/03/2009, -0/+23A happy ending?
  • densetsu23, on 11/03/2009, -0/+22And it was two Democrats who supported him. Both parties are just catering to the audience...
  • RealmDown, on 11/03/2009, -0/+22A chat plus absolution of the sin of your choice.
  • skelooth, on 11/03/2009, -0/+21I wish I could digg you more than once.
  • nepidae, on 11/03/2009, -1/+21I wonder if I could form my own religion based around drinking alcohol and doing drugs and get those "treatments" to be covered to...
  • GregLoire, on 11/03/2009, -1/+21It's not the elected officials who are morons; it's the people they're pandering to. They know what they're doing.
  • charm803, on 11/03/2009, -1/+19Shouldn't they have to prove that prayer works in the first place?
  • dalegoe, on 11/03/2009, -1/+19Well, many Christians wouldn't call Christian Scientists Christians anyways.
  • FormerBabby, on 11/03/2009, -7/+25What is wrong with some many Americans? You guys are ***** up.
  • lnxfi, on 11/03/2009, -0/+17What does $30 get me?
  • RealmDown, on 11/03/2009, -0/+17"ooo eee ooo ah ah
    ting tang
    walla walla bing bang
    oo ee oo ah ah
    ting tang wallla walla bang bang"

    That'll be $4,500 please.
  • BlacklabelSAR, on 11/03/2009, -1/+18Then let's also teach Science at church!

    In Texas, I see hospital billboards that read "What is medicine without Faith?"

    It's Science, Jethro.
  • kasjogren, on 11/03/2009, -0/+15Well they won't pay for abortions so why not pay for an exorcism.
  • diggduggDOOM, on 11/03/2009, -4/+19The length of the bill bothers fiscal conservatives?

    There's a shorter bill, HR 676 (aka Medicare for All), but I'm guessing fiscal conservatives won't be complaining about its length.
  • beerhound, on 11/03/2009, -0/+15FTA:

    "The provision was inserted by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) with the support of Democratic Sens. John F. Kerry and the late Edward M. Kennedy"

    That looks bipartisan to me
  • carbonetc, on 11/03/2009, -1/+15Might as well cover homeopathy. That at least cures dehydration.
  • skelooth, on 11/03/2009, -1/+15Oh good, that means I can open my new business "Power of lolcats" where I treat sick patients by showing them pictures of lolcats and charging thousands of dollars.
  • bakamas, on 11/03/2009, -0/+13Ishiguro, I am assuming you want to dismantle Medicare and Medicaid? Good luck with that.
  • diggduggDOOM, on 11/03/2009, -0/+13"Under the current system you can take your premium dollars to another insurance company if you don't like the policies of your current one."

    No, the new insurance company would decline to cover you. After all, now you have a pre-existing condition with an expensive treatment. You were already deemed too expensive by your old insurance company, and they had the benefit of collecting premiums from you for years. Why would a new insurance company want to cover you, especially without years of premiums already paid?
  • rmacnguyen, on 11/03/2009, -0/+13More like, for $20 I can talk to my imaginary friend for you, and then I'll tell you whatever the hell I want.
  • RealmDown, on 11/03/2009, -0/+13The jury is still out on that.
  • darthjure, on 11/03/2009, -0/+13Ideally, they wouldn't be paid in actual money, they would be paid in *blessings*.
  • dalittle, on 11/03/2009, -0/+13does not mean taxpayers want to pay for it, especially since placebos are free.
  • temsi, on 11/03/2009, -0/+13The answer to the question on those billboards is easy.
    "Medicine."

    Faith has nothing to do with it.

    It's a bit like asking "what's a car without a unicorn?"
  • Paranor01, on 11/03/2009, -1/+14on the brighter side, within 20yrs the religious idiots who believe strictly in faith based healing should all be dead from their ailments and this stupid clause would just be removed because of uselessness

  • vtnerd, on 11/03/2009, -0/+12Correlation != causation.

    Your parents are healthy b/c they're lucky, not b/c they have faith in a magical sky fairy. There's nothing more to it than that.
  • spydr101, on 11/03/2009, -0/+12You're officially my favorite christian for having the balls to say that.
  • niradg, on 11/03/2009, -9/+21blame Republicans like Orrin Hatch
  • allfatherblack, on 11/03/2009, -0/+12Why not pay for exorcisms as an ALTERNATIVE to abortions?

    Eh? Eh? Anyone...?
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