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AAMC Spearheads New Quality Initiative State Budget Cuts Put Strain on Teaching Hospitals Innovations in Medical Education: "Communicating in Other Ways" "A Shot in the Dark": the smallpox vaccination program Viewpoint: Women in Medicine: The Work that Remains A Word from the President "A Day in the Life of a Medical Student"
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A Word From the PresidentStepping Up to Cover the Uninsured
We in academic medicine know that the vast majority of the uninsured, many of whom rely on teaching hospitals for their care, are members of working families. Indeed, eight out of 10 Americans lacking healthcare coverage fall into this category, but are unable to afford health insurance premiums. More important, we also know that the health problems afflicting these Americans are often not attended to in a timely fashion, obviating the chance for cure or for preventing disability. We know these things, but it seems that many Americans and their elected officials do not. For that reason, it is incumbent on us to do everything we can to ensure that the issue of the uninsured gets urgent attention on the national agenda. With the New Year, new Congress, and a new Senate majority leader who happens to be a physician, there is at least some reason for optimism. Sen. Frist is the first physician to serve as the Senate's leader, and his professional experience obviously provides him with a unique perspective on the situation. Although his track record in Congress reflects a clear commitment to healthcare issues, policy differences between the Republicans and Democrats, coupled with the GOP's slim majority in Congress, means that some sort of compromise leading to a bipartisan approach will be required to make progress on the issue of the uninsured. Complicating matters, of course, is the fiscal crisis affecting most states -which, according to a recent study, will surely worsen in the next budget year. During tough fiscal times, states often resort to cutting healthcare programs for the poor; according to a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 11 states have already adopted or are proposing plans to eliminate healthcare coverage for an additional million people. Many of the programs that might be eliminated, such as the State Children's Heath Insurance Program and Tenn-Care, have been successful in providing coverage for uninsured children. In the midst of this budgetary crisis, some states are pushing for systematic healthcare reform, including universal coverage. As reported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Maine created a state board to draw up universal coverage proposals last year; the Rhode Island General Assembly released a study on universal health care; Oregon had this topic on a ballot initiative in the last election; and, to top it off, the head of Blue Shield of California has called for universal coverage of all state residents. Although universal health care is still a distant reality in all these states, these efforts mark an encouraging departure from the mindset of just a few years ago. Another encouraging development, one intended to add grassroots momentum to this issue, is the "Cover the Uninsured" campaign led by the RWJF. This formidable, nationwide public education initiative is designed to raise people's awareness, not only about the plight of the uninsured but also about the adverse impact this problem has on everyone. In addition to RWJF's backing, this multi-million-dollar campaign is being supported by more than a dozen other national organizations. The campaign's centerpiece is an entire week of targeted events scheduled for March 10 through 16. The planned activities will bring together a wide range of constituencies, including medical schools and teaching hospitals that have a vital stake in seeing that all Americans have healthcare coverage. Tuesday, March 11, has been designated as the day for health professions schools and their partners around the country to host schoolwide teaching events and outreach activities to highlight the consequences of failing to cover the uninsured. The AAMC, with the help of our Organization of Student Representatives and of the American Medical Students Association, is working to encourage its constituents to sponsor on-campus events for that day. The Association of Academic Health Centers is doing likewise. I hope all of our member institutions will participate in RWJF's "Cover the Uninsured Week" initiative. This event offers us a wonderful opportunity to teach our students and residents several important lessons, including the significant health risks of being uninsured; the costs incurred by everyone when so many are without coverage; the medical profession's obligation to bring its expertise to bear on important public policy issues; and the critical importance of transcending ideology and partisan politics to find solutions for public health problems that undermine core American values. One such value regards access to health care as a right, not a privilege. Our voice in support of that value should be the loudest of all. Editor's note: For more information, visit www.coveringtheuninsured.org, or contact Rika Maeshiro, M.D., M.P.H., at the AAMC, rmaeshiro@aamc.org.
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When
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) laid out his political
priorities during his acceptance speech last December, he delivered
an encouraging pronouncement on health care that emphasized the
need to adequately address the problem of the uninsured. Frist's
statements could hardly have come at a better time. The latest surveys
indicate that the number of people in this country lacking health
insurance now surpasses 41 million, more than 14 percent of the
U.S. population.