Because Unitarian Universalists affirm the worth and dignity of every individual;

Because, as set forth in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all people have a right to high-quality health care; and

Because it is the responsibility of the public through government to provide for the common needs of the people in a just, equitable, and compassionate manner; and

WHEREAS access to adequate health care in the United States is neither equitable nor compassionate, although 11% of the gross national product is spent on health care, more than in any other industrialized nation; and

WHEREAS 37 million people living in the United States (13% of the population) have no health-care coverage, and increasing numbers cannot buy individual medical insurance at any price; and

WHEREAS Medicaid and Medicare do not adequately address the needs of the elderly, disabled, blind, or the poor; and

WHEREAS the infant mortality rate in the United States is the highest in the industrialized world and life expectancy in the United States has fallen to nineteenth in the world; and

WHEREAS Canada, with an annual per capita health-care cost of $1,480 compared to $2,050 in the United States, has an infant mortality rate 25% lower than that of the United States and an average life span almost two years longer;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Unitarian Universalist Association express its moral indignation at the above conditions and affirm that comprehensive health care is a basic human right and demand the development of a system which guarantees quality health care to every individual in the United States;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the system now in existence in other industrialized countries be considered as a model for the United States;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, consistent with an appropriate and economically sound level of funding, the United States' system shall provide:

1. equitable access, cultural sensitivity, and basic treatment for all people;
2. adequate preventative care, including prenatal and holistic health care;
3. comprehensive treatment for long-term care and catastrophic illness;
4. access to medications and prosthetics;
5. a complete range of voluntary and confidential health care, including family planning and reproductive services;
6. freedom for individuals to choose their health providers; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Unitarian Universalist congregations and individual Unitarian Universalists in the United States be urged to support adoption of a national publicly funded comprehensive system of universal health care.