| | Coverage for the Uninsured | More than 47 million Americans are uninsured. 80% come from working families; 20% are children.The United States spends nearly $100 billion to provide uninsured patients with health services, often for preventable diseases or diseases more efficiently treated with early diagnoses. This burden is shouldered by everyone. So what do we propose? - To provide all Americans with the means to purchase health care coverage
- To give individuals choices to select the appropriate coverage for them and their families
- To promote market reforms that enable this new approach
Expanding coverage for the uninsured and increasing access to care The AMA’s Patients�?Action Network is committed to leading the response to solve the health coverage crisis for all patients and will work to build political pressure for action on both coverage and access to care. We will advocate for and create awareness about our proposal to expand medical coverage for the uninsured. We will lead the charge to move the system toward affordable coverage that is individually owned and chosen by each patient or family, with financial assistance for those with low incomes. Legislation: State Children's Health Insurance Program Congress created the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997 as a state-federal partnership to bridge the safety net gap for low-income children who are ineligible for Medicaid but still lack private health insurance. SCHIP was authorized for ten years; the program was renewed in December 2007 for 15 months, so states will continue to receive federal funds until March 31, 2009.
Covering the uninsured is a top priority for the AMA and the Patients Action Network, and covering America’s uninsured children is the first step.
To learn more, please visit VoiceForTheUninsured.org
Patients' Action Network: American Medical Association | 
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
First 