The United States Congress is struggling – again – over the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) of 2010. As Jewish organizations weigh in on the debate, the question will inevitably arise: what does Jewish tradition, and specifically the halakhic tradition, teach us concerning the role of the government in the provision of medical care in a modern democratic society? And that, of course, is a difficult question to answer. We know that the halakhah, based in sources that reflect a social, economic, and political context quite different from our own, does not speak with precision to most of the particular issues our society confronts today.[1] To put this differently: on its face, the halakhah doesn’t tell us whether the ACA should be retained, repealed, or amended. On the other hand, Jewish law does contain some important basic teachings about the nature of the good society that can and ought to guide our thinking on public questions. Yes, we have to resist the temptation of learning too much detail from broad, general statements in the texts. We’ve discussed that problem on this blog. But there are occasions when the tradition actually gives us enough practical detail, if not to answer our questions precisely, then at least to point the way for our thinking. And the issue of national healthcare policy is one of those occasions. Continue reading On Medical Care, Mitzvah, and Public Responsibility
