Healthcare overhaul bill may include prayer treatments

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The Los Angeles Times is reporting that some versions of the healthcare overhaul bill include the coverage of prayer treatments.

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, both of Massachusetts, home to the headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist.

Although the provision is intended to appease Christian Scientists, critics fear it will encourage other churches to seek similar status by making the same argument: spiritual care is an effective alternative to medical care.

According to the story, insurers have covered prayer treatments in the past, and the overall cost of the healthcare overhaul bill wouldn’t be dramatically affected if the provision was included: The cost of these prayer treatments can be low, as little as $20.

But some argue that the provision is unconstitutional, violating the separation between church and state, though the government has been known to cover spiritual care ….

The Internal Revenue Service allows the cost of the prayer sessions to be counted among itemized medical expenses for income tax purposes — one of the only religious treatments explicitly identified as deductible by the IRS. Some federal medical insurance programs, including those for military families, also reimburse for prayer treatment.

As long as patients can choose, and the government does not advance this kind of specific treatment, then it seems to be a matter of preventing religious discrimination and encouraging choice. Still, some might see prayer as an unacceptable alternative to standard medical care, and even argue that giving people the option to choose prayer is medically irresponsible.

Christian Scientists, however, say that while they promote spiritual care, they do not reject standard medical care.

There are entire centers devoted to the exploration of the connection between spirituality and healthcare. Wild goose chase, or something real to be explored?