Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, host

Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III hosted Dr. Timothy Johnson, ABC News medical editor and reporter, to talk about “Faith and Healthcare.”

The discussion opens with a strong emphasis on the cost of health care. “We’re going to spend over $2.5 trillion on health care this year. That number is expected to double within five or six years,” Johnson says. “Health care costs will make the present financial crisis look like a Sunday school picnic someday.” Inflation in the cost of medical care might, he fears, eventually bankrupt the United States. Johnson mainly blames the high cost of care on people with a financial stake in maintaining the status quo.

Despite frequent references to the health-care system, “There’s no system to fix,” Johnson asserts. He mentions Sen. Tom Daschle’s recent book, Critical, which indicates a possible new direction for health care reform under the Obama administration. Johnson boils the book down to two messages: “Get the politicians one step removed,” and, “Pay only for what works.” Daschle has been named as secretary of Health and Human Services for the Obama administration.

“You sound hopeful that President-elect Obama’s going to be able to move this thing forward,” Lloyd observes. Johnson responds that Obama has “talked about it a lot and he’s appointed people who are very knowledgeable and committed. And we’ve got Congress talking about it again.”

Even insurance companies, and others invested in the current system, are now supporting changes in health care. Johnson believes that these stakeholders are overcoming a case of mural dyslexia, “an inability to read the handwriting on the wall.”

Johnson also discusses his new book, Finding God in the Questions. He is an ordained minister as well as a medical doctor. Although he has a rich faith life that most would identify as Christian, he says, “I no longer like to call myself a Christian, because I feel that word has lost all precision. When we talk about a Christian today, are we talking about Al Sharpton or Bishop Spong? They both…say they’re Christians.

“So I call myself now a follower of Jesus,” Johnson says, adding that this is what Jesus’ disciples called themselves long before the term “Christian” gained popularity. Calling himself a follower of Jesus drives Johnson to study the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and try to live accordingly.

Dr. G. Timothy Johnson is medical editor for ABC News, where he provides on-air medical analysis for World News Tonight, Nightline, and 20/20. He has provided commentary on medical problems and answers for viewers of ABC News’ Good Morning America since the program’s debut in 1975. Dr. Johnson’s broadcast work has garnered Emmy Awards and a Gabriel Award in best news category, among other distinctions. He is co-editor of the book Your Good Health, co-author of Let’s Talk, and author of Dr. Timothy Johnson’s OnCall Guide to Men’s Heath and Finding God in the Questions: A Personal Journey.

About Dr. G. Timothy Johnson

Dr. G. Timothy Johnson is medical editor for ABC News, where he provides on-air medical analysis for World News Tonight, Nightline, and 20/20. He has provided commentary on medical problems and answers for viewers of ABC News’ Good Morning America since the program’s debut in 1975. Dr. Johnson’s broadcast work has garnered Emmy Awards and a Gabriel Award in best news category, among other distinctions. He is co-editor of the book Your Good Health, co-author of Let’s Talk, and author of Dr. Timothy Johnson’s OnCall Guide to Men’s Heath and Finding God in the Questions: A Personal Journey.