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AMA urges action to cover the uninsured through ads at presidential conventions

Outdoor ads focus on doctors working toward uninsured solutions

For immediate release
August 19, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Medical Association urges action to cover the uninsured through outdoor advertisements at the presidential conventions in Denver and Minneapolis. The ads are part of the AMA’s Voice for the Uninsured campaign and can be seen on taxi tops, in transit stations and on billboards. The Voice for the Uninsured campaign is a three-year effort to spur action to cover America’s uninsured.

“Far too many uninsured patients in the U.S. live in fear each day that they might get sick or injured, and when they do, they often don’t see the doctor until it’s too late,” said American Medical Association President Nancy Nielsen, MD. “We encourage presidential candidates and other political leaders to engage in a debate about health care reform to help these uninsured patients in need.”

The advertisements will be seen in city airports, on rail transportation, buses, and taxi tops, and on billboards seen by motorists headed toward the convention centers and in other downtown locations. Print and online advertisements will run in national and medical trade publications including Time, Newsweek, Modern Healthcare and Medical Economics and on news sites including CNN.com, AOL.com, FoxNews.com, New YorkTimes.com, and USAToday.com.

The ads feature physicians and uninsured patients, and focus on the AMA’s efforts to find a solution. “Toya’s problem is so severe that she has the best doctors in the country working on it. Toya’s problem is that her parents can’t afford health insurance,” reads one ad featuring a young girl.

“Uninsured Americans are our neighbors, our friends, and even our family members, and they've gone far too long without their voices being heard,” said Dr. Nielsen. “The AMA urges candidates and legislators to focus on health care reform now, because in 2009 the time will be ripe for legislation to get all Americans covered.”

The advertisements are part of a multi-million dollar uninsured advertising campaign that began last fall in the early primary states and will continue through 2009, as the AMA works with members of Congress and the new president to pass legislation to cover the uninsured. To view the ads, send a letter to Congress, or share your voice visit our updated Web site.

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 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.