The Communal Obligation to Provide Access to Healthcare in the Jewish Tradition
Noam Stadlan, MD, Endeavor Healthcare, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Chicago
The United States, essentially alone among western nations, does not have universal coverage for healthcare. Currently the system is in crisis with many without care and premiums for other skyrocketing.
Religious traditions sometimes provide general moral imperatives. Providing universal coverage can be seen as part of the imperative to care for the poor, heal the sick or other similar imperatives.
The Jewish legal Tradition frequently mandates specific obligations. This paper will explore what guidance or imperatives the Jewish legal Tradition(as understood by Traditionalists) has to say regarding universal healthcare coverage.
Most of the Jewish legal tradition is directed towards individual obligations. While communal obligations certainly exist, the majority of Jewish law is directed towards the individual. And the individual is obligated to give charity (tzedakah) to the poor, heal the sick, and save lives. Most of these obligations are based on proximity - one is obligated to those whom one is in direct contact or related to in some way. There is a lesser obligation to those further away.
Utilizing examples from historical autonomous Jewish communities, and more contemporary Jewish legal writing, this paper will illustrate how the individual obligations are also communal obligations. The community as a whole is required to assure access to health care for all members of the community - and the definition of community can be quite broad.
While those who do not consider themselves obligated to follow the Jewish legal tradition obviously will not feel obligated to follow these conclusions, the moral principles and analysis under consideration may be appealing even though they do not carry legal weight.
Religious traditions sometimes provide general moral imperatives. Providing universal coverage can be seen as part of the imperative to care for the poor, heal the sick or other similar imperatives.
The Jewish legal Tradition frequently mandates specific obligations. This paper will explore what guidance or imperatives the Jewish legal Tradition(as understood by Traditionalists) has to say regarding universal healthcare coverage.
Most of the Jewish legal tradition is directed towards individual obligations. While communal obligations certainly exist, the majority of Jewish law is directed towards the individual. And the individual is obligated to give charity (tzedakah) to the poor, heal the sick, and save lives. Most of these obligations are based on proximity - one is obligated to those whom one is in direct contact or related to in some way. There is a lesser obligation to those further away.
Utilizing examples from historical autonomous Jewish communities, and more contemporary Jewish legal writing, this paper will illustrate how the individual obligations are also communal obligations. The community as a whole is required to assure access to health care for all members of the community - and the definition of community can be quite broad.
While those who do not consider themselves obligated to follow the Jewish legal tradition obviously will not feel obligated to follow these conclusions, the moral principles and analysis under consideration may be appealing even though they do not carry legal weight.