When AMA Alliance members decided to volunteer at the Iowa State Fair in August, they didn't expect they would come face to face with so many people who are living on a daily basis as casualties of the public health crisis of being underinsured or uninsured.

In conjunction with the AMA's "Voice for the Uninsured" program, Alliance members Kathy Lariviere, Barb Hanas, Barb Savage and Mary Shuman, worked side by side with members of the state medical society and AMA members to distribute information about this initiative launched by the AMA last month.  The program aims to provide all Americans with the means to purchase health care coverage, give individuals choices to select the appropriate coverage for them and their families, and promote market reforms that enable this new approach. 

In a typical example of the stories the Alliance members heard: Shuman spent some time talking to Don, a 26-year-old blue collar worker, married to his high school sweetheart and working to provide for his family. Although adequate health insurance was provided by his previous employer, he needed a bigger paycheck.  He changed jobs and consequently ended up with a different insurance provider. Then, his wife, Sue, became pregnant, and with their new insurance carrier, a well-known company, they assumed pre-natal care, delivery expenses and post-natal bills would be covered. They were wrong. The insurance company refused to pay any of the costs associated with the pregnancy because it was a "pre-existing condition."

After dealing with the blow of having to pay the costs for Sue's pregnancy in full, their son was born and shortly after was diagnosed with whooping cough. According to Don, "The insurance company kept our money and we were stuck with the bill."  The family now owes more than $12,000 in medical bills and still pays $6,500 a year for health insurance. Don is forced to work two part-time jobs in addition to his full-time job in order to recover financially.

This is one of many stories that struck a chord with the volunteers at the fair. "I was amazed at how sincere some of the people were as they shared their stories about how difficult it is for them to acquire health care coverage," said Lariviere.  Shuman added that she found many people were worried when they read about conditions that aren't covered by insurance, such as dialysis or oncology treatments.  "There was a real sense that if push came to shove, you could do something for the uninsured but the underinsured felt they were sitting ducks," she said. "It was a kind of helplessness for those who may come in just under the wire and essentially fall through the cracks."

The volunteers also gathered signatures for a non-governmental petition that the AMA will use as evidence in presenting their case to promote offering more options for the uninsured and underinsured. Many of the presidential candidates attended the state fair to speak about campaign issues such as healthcare.

"Our main goal was to increase awareness on the issue of the underinsured and uninsured," said Savage. "We wanted fair-goers to sign the petition so AMA could go back with concrete evidence that many people are in favor of insurance reform."

Although there were a few people who were in favor of full coverage insurance by the government, the overwhelming majority said they were in favor of the idea of health insurance market reform.  "At first it was hard to get people to stop, but then those who did stop seemed definitely concerned about the future of the health care system," said Hanas. "It's imperative that we provide better preventative care for children and young families. It was a great experience and I was so glad that I participated."

AMA Launches "Voice For The Uninsured" Campaign

In August, the AMA launched a three-year campaign to spur action to cover America's uninsured. The "Voice For The Uninsured" campaign is timed in conjunction with the 2008 election cycle, and will bring a human face to this problem that affects millions.

• 2007: The first year of the campaign focuses on efforts to talk with voters and candidates about the problem of the uninsured and the AMA's solution. The first phase will have a special emphasis in Washington, D.C. and early primary states (Iowa, N.H., S.C.).
• 2008: Year two of the campaign will expand nationally and will focus on influencing Americans to vote with the issue of the uninsured in mind.
• 2009: The third year of the campaign will focus on urging members of Congress to pass legislation to fix this national problem.

The AMA "Voice For The Uninsured" campaign is grounded in the basic message that one in seven patients living in the U.S. is uninsured.

• 1 in 7 of us doesn't have health insurance. But we do have a voice and a vote.
• 1 out of 7 Americans is uninsured. This isn't just a statistic, it's a tragedy.
• 1 out of 7 isn't just a statistic. It's a man who chooses to feed his family over seeing his doctor for chest pains.

For more information, go to www.VoiceFortheUninsured.org.