Title: Cover the Uninsured Week 2004

Author:

Section/SPIG: Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs

Issue Date:

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Nearly 44 million Americans live without health care coverage - including 8.5 million children. Last year, the number of people without health care coverage increased by more than 2 million, the largest one-year increase in a decade.

From May 10-16, 2004, Cover the Uninsured Week will feature events from coast to coast so that Americans can learn more about why this is a crisis. The fact is, 8 out of 10 people who are uninsured either work or are in working families. For them, minor illnesses can become major ones because health care is delayed, and one significant medical expense can wipe out a family's bank account.

That is why the American Public Health Association is pleased to announce our support of Cover the Uninsured Week 2004. Working with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and more than 800 national and local organizations, we hope to elevate this issue on the national agenda and in communities across the country.

For more information on Cover the Uninsured Week, visit <http://www.CovertheUninsuredWeek.org>. Sign up for updates and find events near you as activities are scheduled.

We encourage you to take part in this important effort. Stay tuned for more on Cover the Uninsured Week in the weeks ahead. If you have any questions regarding APHA's involvement in Cover the Uninsured Week, please contact Don Hoppert at <donald.hoppert@apha.org>.