Contrary to Bernie Hylton's recent letter ["Shouldn't Christians be for health care?" Sept. 11], the reason everyone actually gets medical care in the U.S. is the Judeo-Christian ethic that has governed us from the beginning.
Even those who have broken our laws and have come here illegally are not refused care in emergency rooms.
The fact that our world-class physicians do so much pro bono work (e.g., heart surgeon and former senator Bill Frist) is also a testimony to our religious and charitable heritage.
Moreover, Americans give billions more personally for charitable (including medical) causes than they give through their government programs, both at home and overseas.
How many hospitals in America are named St. Luke, St. Mary's, St. Elizabeth's, Good Samaritan, or Mount Sinai?
I suspect Mr. Hylton would fault even Jesus because he didn't support a Roman Empire program to heal the sick, raise the dead, and make the lame whole. He just used his own resources to do all these things.
Mr. Hylton clearly supports a government program for health care, much along the lines of the government retirement program (Social Security--going broke), and Medicare (costs going up, services going down), and uses support for such a program as his standard for true Christianity.
I'll take my chances on a good report card at God's judgment by following what Jesus actually said and did, not Mr. Hylton's tired old big-government ideas.
Penny White
Stafford