Medicine's National Voice Grows Louder on Uninsured

Garnering such headlines as "AMA touts plan for uninsured Americans" and "Powerful ad series is just what the doctors ordered," the American Medical Association (AMA) is focusing public attention on the need to expand health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured patients--and how to make that happen.

The media coverage came in response to the announcement of the AMA's three-year "Voice for the Uninsured" campaign that is in its initial phase. At the center of the campaign is the AMA's plan consisting of three main principles: provide all Americans with the means to purchase health care coverage through tax credits or vouchers, give patients more choices for coverage, and enact health insurance market reforms to enable this new approach.

The urgency for change in our current health system is growing each day. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of uninsured Americans rose in 2006 by 2.2 million to a total of 47 million. California ranks seventh in the nation in terms of its proportion of uninsured--these patients make up more than 20 percent of the population.

With the 2008 presidential election approaching, now is a crucial time to advocate for systemic change. That's why the initial phase of the "Voice for the Uninsured" campaign focuses on reaching out to voters and candidates to generate awareness of the problem and the AMA's solution, mainly at large events and public places in early primary states, such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C. Campaign volunteers will be handing out information about the issue at college football games, state fairs and political debates.

The campaign's advertising carries the theme "Because 1 out of 7 is 47 million too many," and features real physicians and uninsured patients. Watch for full-page ads in major national publications, including Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. The campaign also incorporates television and radio ads in key states, as well as ads on pharmacy prescription bags and billboards, in transit stations and around college sports stadiums.

The second phase of the campaign will focus on influencing voters to cast their ballots for president with the issue of the uninsured in mind. You can do your part by sharing the principles of the AMA plan--and encouraging colleagues, family and friends to learn about each presidential candidate's plans for health care reform before heading to the voting booth on "Super Duper Tuesday" in February. Following the 2008 election, the third phase of the campaign will focus on urging members of Congress to enact legislation based on the AMA's principles.

To get involved and read more about the AMA's plan to expand health coverage, visit www.voicefortheuninsured.org. There, you can sign a petition in support of the plan as well as view photos from campaign events and many of the print and TV ads that will be appearing this fall.

AMA Provides Practice Resources

Medical billing is a large part of every physician practice. It consumes a lot of staff time and practice expense, and as many physicians know, the amount of paperwork often causes headaches. But a medical billing service can help. A good medical billing service allows physician practices to concentrate on their patients while not having to worry about billing errors that can be costly for the practice.

The first step in evaluating a medical billing service is understanding exactly what the service is and what it can do for your practice.

That's why the AMA Private Sector Advocacy (PSA) unit developed "What is a medical billing service?" This educational resource details the specific functions that many billing services provide, how these services structure their charges and what questions to pose to a potential billing service.

The AMA also offers other resources related to claims processing, including "How to select a billing software vendor for the physician practice," "The benefits of electronic claims submission--improve practice efficiencies" and "The effect a payer's claim edits can have on the repricing and payment of your claim."

Members of the AMA are invited to download free, informative resources that can help them manage their practices. These tools cover a variety of topics, including managed care contracting, dealing with payment hassles, evaluating disease management programs, appealing claims and many other subjects.

Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/psatools to download these and many other resources from the AMA.