Web Site Offers Ideas, Contacts for Annual Initiative

In 2004, a record 45.8 million people -- 15.7 percent of Americans -- were uninsured, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The percentage of Americans with employment-based insurance dropped from 60.4 percent to 59.8 percent between 2003 and 2004.

But America’s health care crisis doesn’t lie in the statistics. It lies in the dilemmas faced by patients who do not have insurance and the physicians who care for them. These are the patients who suddenly stop coming in for regular appointments as a result of a job change or loss of a job. They’re the patients who don't -- or can't -- comply with your recommendation for follow-up appointments. They’re the patients for whom you are the creditor, carrying their medical debt as they make monthly payments.

Cover the Uninsured Week, May 1-7, provides you with multiple opportunities to address the issue of the uninsured. The week-long initiative, which began in 2003, is managed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and 18 other partner organizations, including the Academy. During this week, scores of concerned organizations and thousands of individuals will work to raise awareness about the problem of the uninsured in the United States.

Events will include press conferences, business summits, health and enrollment fairs, small business seminars, campus seminars and interfaith activities. The Cover the Uninsured Web site links you to information about the plight of the uninsured, legislation, research into the impact that lack of insurance has on people, names of coordinators in each state and a list of tips on events that can be organized to increase public awareness about the uninsured.

The site also provides materials to help you plan or participate in various events or activities. For example, one area called "What You Can Do" provides tips on organizing events, writing an op-ed column, writing a letter to the editor, enrolling the uninsured in health insurance programs and contacting congressional representatives.