More than 48 million Americans live without health insurance coverage. They are people we all know. They are our neighbors, friends, and family members. Some of them have been my patients. For years, they’ve been forced to make tough choices between getting the medical care they need and paying the rent. They’ve gone without preventive care, missed annual check ups, and skipped medications.

 For more than 40 years, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been working to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, stable health insurance coverage. Now, thanks to the work of so many committed organizations and individuals, we have an opportunity to come closer than ever to achieving this goal.

• Health insurance for many individuals that is cheaper and better than what’s available now.
• More competition among health insurers than ever before.
• Partnerships between health plans and providers to deliver care at affordable cost.

These developments sound like the dreams of health reformers that fueled passage of the Affordable Care Act. But they’re proving to be reality now in many states—particularly in the 17 jurisdictions (including the District of Columbia) that are creating state-based health insurance exchanges, or “marketplaces.”

That’s the conclusion that emerges from analyses of the states participating in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Reform Assistance Network. Housed at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, the program provides technical assistance to 11 states implementing coverage expansions under the health reform law.

As the nation’s largest public health philanthropy, addressing the crisis of the uninsured is central to our mission.

A 2009 RWJF-funded study by the Institute of Medicine documented severe consequences to the long-term health prospects of people living without health insurance. Put simply, the uninsured live sicker, suffer more, and die younger. And beyond the impact on the individual and their families, high rates of uninsurance strain communities’ health systems, limiting access to quality care for those with insurance.

Sadly, 50 million of our fellow Americans—nearly one in six of us—are uninsured.  For decades, RWJF has worked to remedy the crisis of the uninsured, and this week marks an especially important milestone, as “Get Covered America” kicks off across the nation. A grassroots, consumer-driven campaign, “Get Covered America” will educate Americans about new opportunities to obtain affordable health insurance in advance of open enrollment season this fall.

This past weekend, many of us enjoyed a great Memorial Day holiday filled with family, fun, and backyard barbecues.

Others, such as National Journal's Major Garrett visited somber war memorials. In his “All Powers” column, Garrett writes poignantly and passionately about our combat veterans—reflections inspired by a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington.

In How We Could Do More For Our Vets, Garrett writes about the health struggles of his cousin, a Vietnam vet, and the level of care that our nation owes to a generation of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Garrett’s thought-provoking piece is worth your time.

As I read his column, I was reminded how surprised I was earlier this spring when I read an RWJF/Urban Institute report on the prospects for covering 1.3 million uninsured veterans and their families under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Wait just a second, I thought. All the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for our country have access to the health care they need through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), right?

Wrong.

According to Urban’s Jennifer Haley and Genevieve Kenney, “priority is based on service-related disabilities, income, and other factors. Many low-income veterans eligible for VA care may not live close to VA facilities or may not know that VA care is available. Most spouses of veterans do not qualify for VA care, and many also do not qualify for Medicaid under the current requirements, which vary by state.”

But there is good news. The ACA’s Medicaid expansion means a “substantial increase in Medicaid eligibility for uninsured veterans,” according to the authors. In other words, 1.3 million vets could be in a position to secure public health insurance beginning in 2014.

Unfortunately, less than half of these uninsured vets will actually receive coverage because they live in states that are likely to reject Medicaid expansion. Wow.

It might be too much to ask Americans to add policy articles to their summer reading stack, but I urge you to spend a few minutes with Garrett's piece and the RWJF/Urban Institute report.

And when you do, think about what America’s veterans deserve from our nation.

Brent Thompson is a communications officer working with RWJF's Coverage team.