AMA Reinforces Commitment to Cover the Uninsured at Annual Meeting

CHICAGO, June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Medical
Association's commitment to cover the uninsured was clear today, as thousands
of physicians reaffirmed the current AMA proposal to cover the uninsured, and
voted to study the impact of free clinics on improving access to health care
for the uninsured, and to study the tax treatment of health savings accounts.
"While we work to cover the uninsured, we need to find ways to care for
those in need now," said AMA Board Member Cyril Hetsko, M.D. "The AMA will be
looking into ways free clinics can fill the void for uninsured patients until
we can get everyone covered."
About 4000 AMA members are attending the AMA Annual Meeting this week in
Chicago, a policy-making meeting held every June. In conjunction with the
meeting, the AMA posted uninsured billboards around Chicago as part of the
Voice for the Uninsured campaign, the AMA's three-year, multi-million dollar
effort to spur action to cover America's uninsured. Two new campaign
television ads were unveiled at the meeting and will begin to air across the
country this fall. The AMA distributed new informational packets about the
AMA's proposal to cover the uninsured to physicians attending the meeting and
launched a newly updated campaign Web site: www.voicefortheuninsured.org.
SOURCE American Medical Association

Mollie Turner, AMA Media Relations, +1-202-789-7430,
Mollie.turner@ama-assn.org