National organizations unite to solve problem of uninsured

     Twelve national organizations - including the American Medical Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO - will be joining The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to launch a major effort to seek solutions to the problem of the uninsured.  On February 12th the group, united together as, Covering the Uninsured, will release new data showing a dramatic increase in the number of uninsured Americans as a result of the economic downturn and a national survey indicating that Americans who currently have health insurance are worried about losing it.

     Covering the Uninsured is a two-year, $10 million program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  The group is sponsoring a variety of educational activities, including national advertising, to publicize the extent of the problem and find solutions. The television and prints ad will be unveiled on February 12th.

     The AMA has made insurance reform a top priority for 2002 and proposes expanding health insurance coverage by: endorsing the concept that employers provide a defined contribution for the purchase of  health expense; supporting a system in which all Americans with health coverage are given tax credits rather than excluding employer-provided health benefits from their taxable income; and developing a universally available Medical Savings Accounts that plays an important role in a consumer-oriented system.