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Greenteam @Sacred Heart Church — Martin Luther King (MLK) Day of Service January 27th, 2025
Contributed by Fr. Jack Lau, OMI, Sacred Heart Church – Oakland, CA
Oblates Daily Prayer January 24th, 2025
Every day the Oblate Community and Family in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales publish a short reflective morning prayer video, created by members. Please join in daily from where you are.
Visit their Youtube channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOblates
Shareholders Call on United Healthcare Group to Issue a Report on the Public Health Costs of Delayed or Denied Access to Treatment January 14th, 2025
Image by Tung Nguyen from Pixabay
NEW YORK, NY, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2024 – Shareholders of UnitedHealth Group ($UNH) today announced that they had filed a proposal for the 2025 proxy requesting that the Board of Directors prepare a report on the public health-related costs and macroeconomic risks created by the company’s practices that limit or delay access to healthcare.
Specifically, shareholders recommend that the report evaluate how company practices impact access to healthcare and patient outcomes, including analyses of how often prior authorization requirements or denials of coverage lead to delay or abandonment of medical treatment, and serious adverse events for patients.
The proponents are institutional investors who have been engaging UNH and other companies in the healthcare sector for many years around questions of access and affordability. As investors with diversified holdings, they argue that while UNH’s policies may boost short-term revenue, its vertically integrated business model and escalating costs disempower patients, create long-term reputational and legal risks for the company and pose broader risks to the economy that, by extension, threaten investors’ total portfolios.
Said Timnit Ghermay of the Congregation des Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jesus et de Marie who led the filing of the proposal, “UNH has been in the media and legislative spotlight for some time given its market dominance, aggressive marketing of Medicare Advantage and questionable use of AI algorithms to deny care to patients. As the tragic murder of UNH’s Brian Thompson made evident, public outrage over the exorbitant costs and restricted access to healthcare has reached a dangerous level in our country. Our proposal suggests some introspection by UNH that will help the company and all its stakeholders thrive.”
As the 4th largest company in the U.S. owning not only insurers but also providers, the power and influence of UNH over the U.S. economy cannot be overstated. It is estimated that over 5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product flows through the company’s systems daily touching millions of Americans. This power, and the profits UNH generates, have attracted the scrutiny of legislators who are calling for the company to be split up and reformed. According to STAT, “Lawmakers and regulators have sharply criticized the company for excessive profiteering within its Medicare Advantage business. It is being sued for allegedly using an error-prone algorithm to systematically deny care to older Americans…It is facing a federal antitrust investigation and a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block its proposed acquisition of the home health provider Amedisys.”
Reflection on December’s Ecological Conversion Field Trip with OMI Novices January 14th, 2025
Contributed by Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director of Oblate Ecological Initiative
We visited Treehouse Wildlife Center mid-December to experience a community dedicated to the rehabilitation of injured wildlife. TreeHouse exemplifies the spirit of Laudato Si which calls us to shift from the exploitation of other species to treating them as beings “with intrinsic value, apart from their usefulness to us”. Anyone can bring an injured animal to this center, and it will be treated as “brother or sister” in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.
Oblate Missionaries at the United Nations: Advocating for Justice, Peace and Human Dignity January 8th, 2025
By Br. Benoît DOSQUET, OMI
The Missionary Oblates advocate for the human rights and well-being of the most vulnerable through collaborations with organizations such as VIVAT International and the Coalition of Religious for Justice. In this article, Benedict reflects on the work of the Missionary Oblates at the UN and their commitment to the most vulnerable, justice and peace.
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The journey of the Oblate Missionaries at the UN and with VIVAT International
In 2004, the Superior General sent Father Daniel LeBlanc on a mission to the UN, where the Missionary Oblates were incorporated as an NGO. Initially, Father Daniel worked with the organization “Franciscan International”, whose mission was to advocate at the United Nations for respect for human dignity and for environmental justice, using a human rights-based approach.
Very quickly, the Missionary Oblates joined the NGO VIVAT International, founded in November 2000. The name of the organization, derived from the Latin word “VIVERE” (meaning “TO LIVE”), symbolizes a commitment to life for all. VIVAT International will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025. Today, two Missionary Oblates work directly with VIVAT: Father Daniel LeBlanc, who speaks at the UN on behalf of VIVAT and the Missionary Oblates, and Father Daquin Iyo, who represents the organization in Nairobi, where the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is located.
VIVAT International: A global commitment to human rights and justice
VIVAT International now has over 17,000 members from 12 Catholic religious congregations and works in 121 countries to promote human rights through both international and local advocacy. In 2017, the Missionary Oblates, along with 22 other NGOs, formed the Coalition of Religious for Justice (JCoR), strengthening the capacity of Catholic religious congregations on the ground and their representatives at the United Nations.
Religious NGOs are recognized at the UN for their moral presence, adopting a preferential option in favor of poor and marginalized people. They address the root causes of poverty, injustice, discrimination, violence and unsustainable development in the world.
READ THE FULL STORY AT OMIWORLD.COM
