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AMA reinforces commitment to cover the uninsured at the Annual Meeting

AMA holds event, runs ads as part of campaign to cover the uninsured

For immediate release
June 12, 2008


CHICAGO, IL - The American Medical Association is bringing its Voice for the Uninsured campaign to Chicago with a local event and advertising. The AMA campaign is a three-year, multi-million dollar effort to spur action to cover America's uninsured.

"With one of the top five highest uninsured populations in the U.S., Illinois is no stranger to the tragedies faced daily by uninsured patients," said AMA Board Member and medical student Chris DeRienzo. "The nearly two million uninsured in Illinois, and the tens of millions more living across the U.S., live sicker and die younger and they deserve better than the status quo."

Four hundred AMA medical students and residents will attend Friday's Chicago White Sox game to talk to Chicago families about the crisis of the uninsured, and encourage adults to vote in the November election with the issue in mind. Prior to the start of the game, the AMA's Voice for the Uninsured television advertisement will play on the stadium jumbotron.

"Covering the uninsured is a top priority for the AMA and is the key focus of the AMA's medical student section," said DeRienzo. "We hope our presence at the game will encourage Chicago-area baseball fans and those watching on television to think more about the issue. Uninsured Americans are our neighbors, our friends, and even our family members, and they've gone far too long without their voices being heard."

Throughout the month, two Voice for the Uninsured billboards will be displayed along major Chicago highways, 1-90/94 near O'Hare Airport, and 1-55 near Midway Airport. A new Voice for the Uninsured Web site, with an updated display design, will launch Friday. Two new campaign television ads will be previewed at the AMA Annual meeting this weekend and will begin to air on stations throughout the U.S. this fall. About 4000 AMA member physicians will attend the AMA Annual Meeting this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, a policy-making meeting held every June.

For more information on the Voice For The Uninsured campaign or to see the details of the AMA's proposal to cover the uninsured, visit: www.VoiceForTheUninsured.org.

For more information, please contact:
Mollie Turner
AMA Media Relations
(202) 789-7430

About the American Medical Association:
The American Medical Association helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians nationwide to work on the most important professional and public health issues. Working together, the AMA's quarter of a million physician and medical student members are playing an active role in shaping the future of medicine.