Bush urged to make health care a priority concern of his second term

Published: 2006-01-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Calling U.S. health care "among the best in the world" but "in a state of disrepair," a nun who was a guest at President George W. Bush's 2004 State of the Union address urged the president to make "transforming the health care system" a priority concern for the rest of his second term. Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who was named president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States last fall, made the appeal in a letter to Bush less than a week before his 2006 State of the Union address, scheduled for Jan. 31. "Growing costs make it increasingly difficult for employers to provide coverage, and for patients to afford out-of-pocket expenses," she said. "Meanwhile, the number of uninsured continues to rise, representing a threat to individuals and to our nation's security." In her letter she urged the president "to use the influence of your office to set the stage for real reforms and begin leading the country toward their adoption."

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