RWJF

Keeping the Uninsured in the Public Eye
To complement the Covering Kids and Families work to expand enrollment, and to move the issue of 41-plus million uninsured higher on the national agenda, the Foundation launched a major advertising campaign, “Covering the Uninsured,” in February 2002. Twelve other leading national organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, signed on as co-sponsors of the campaign. The campaign’s series of four print ads and two television commercials, which appeared frequently in leading media markets throughout the nation, depicts the stark difference in health outcomes between those who have insurance and those who do not.

The campaign garnered attention from other major organizations and policy-makers, many of whom were eager to join the effort. The Foundation built on the campaign’s momentum with funding for Cover the Uninsured Week, March 10–16, 2003. The week-long event consisted of organized national and local activities to draw attention to the problems of the uninsured and highlight possible solutions. The activities included free health care screenings for the uninsured during health fairs; special events to enroll eligible individuals in public health coverage programs; meetings in which public officials, businesses and leaders discussed the problem of the uninsured; interfaith prayer breakfasts and sermons focused on moral concerns about more than 41 million uninsured friends, neighbors and family members; and inclusion of themes about the uninsured in television shows. Many leading organizations and other foundations signed up to support the week’s activities, and former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter agreed to serve as honorary chairs.

Institute of Medicine Studies Uninsured
In 2002, the Institute of Medicine released its first two “Surveying the Consequences of Uninsurance” reports. The Foundation-funded project will help provide objective data to highlight the effects of America’s urgent coverage problem. In May, Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late reported that working-age Americans without health insurance have poorer health and die prematurely. In September, Health Insurance Is a Family Matter examined the impact of being uninsured on families and on the health of infants, children and pregnant women. The report found that one-fifth of the 38 million families in America with children have at least one member who is uninsured and that the lack of insurance of just one family member adversely affects the health, emotional well-being and financial stability of the entire household.

State Coverage Initiatives
Through the Foundation’s State Coverage Initiatives program, states can receive funding and assistance to help expand coverage options through both public and private programs. In 2002, this program’s role became even more important as states began grappling with growing budgetary shortfalls created by the economic slowdown and rising health care costs. In 2002, six sites shared $4.1 million for programs such as Oregon’s effort to seek federal matching funds for its Family Health Insurance Assistance Program.

Breaking Down Barriers to Health Care
While health insurance is often crucial to obtaining health care services, access can also be affected by other factors—where one lives, the language one speaks, and by one’s race or ethnicity. For instance, research shows that non-English speakers are less likely to use primary and preventive care services, less likely to correctly use prescribed medications and more likely to use emergency rooms.

Hablamos Juntos is one of several Foundation projects aimed at these barriers to medical and dental care. Hablamos Juntos—Spanish for “we speak together”—is an $18.5-million program to enhance communication between Latino patients and their providers by improving how interpreters and translated health materials are deployed in health care settings. In 2002, the program awarded its first grants to 10 organizations, including hospitals, a health plan and community organizations, across the United States.