Senators, workers in trenches agree: Children must get health care

Published: 2007-01-19

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Among four U.S. senators in Washington, there was optimistic talk of a bipartisan commitment to expand health coverage for the nation's 9 million uninsured children. But 40 miles away at a Catholic hospital in Baltimore, there was more nitty-gritty talk of getting children into state and federal health programs -- and keeping them there. Both events were part of a national town hall meeting on children's health care, broadcast by satellite to 34 hospitals across the country Jan. 11. National sponsors of the meeting included the Catholic Health Association and the Campaign for Children's Health Care, whose partners include Catholic Health Initiatives and Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby. "We're the only industrialized nation that doesn't cover all its children," said Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is CHA president and CEO, in a panel discussion during the broadcast. She finds that situation perplexing, adding, "We love our children as much as any other nation."

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