SITUATION
There are 45 million Americans without health coverage, including 8.4 million children. It’s a problem that affects our economy, our communities and our health. People who are uninsured live sicker and die younger than those with coverage. Tragically, the Institute of Medicine estimates that more than 18,000 adults in America die each year because they are uninsured and can’t get proper care. In addition, medical bills are cited as a leading cause of personal bankruptcy.

In September 2004, new CPS data was released stating that 45 million Americans and 8.4 million children are without health coverage. However, at the time of Cover the Uninsured Week 2004 in May, 44 million Americans and 8.5 million children lacked health coverage.

APPROACH
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) asked GMMB in the summer of 2003 to develop a national public education campaign similar to the model used for the successful Cover the Uninsured Week 2003, which was held March 10-16. In that unprecedented campaign, 880 local events were held in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and more than 378 million media impressions were generated.

The 2004 campaign was designed to keep access to health coverage a top priority on the national and local agendas; demonstrate broad support for action on the issue; create a productive discussion among groups and individuals working to expand health coverage; provide opportunities to help uninsured individuals and small-business owners; and provide nonpartisan information on approaches to solving the problem.

The Week was cosponsored by RWJF, 22 other funders and some of the most influential organizations in the United States, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO. The coalition was unusual because many of its members were often public policy adversaries (e.g., business and labor, insurers and health care providers).

GMMB developed and implemented a communications strategy for Cover the Uninsured Week that was comprised of an intensely organized program of coordinated national and local events in 23 target markets and hundreds of non-target markets across the country. These events were supported by advertising and designed to rally thousands of individuals and organizations in communities across the country behind a common cause: raising awareness of the scope and consequences of this critical problem, increasing demand for solutions, and increasing participation to demonstrate broad support for taking action. Technical assistance provided by GMMB’s field desks, special outreach to the faith, entertainment and sports communities, as well as aggressive marketing of the Web site, www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org, leveraged this grassroots organizing to hundreds of additional communities.

EVENTS AND OUTREACH
A national launch event was held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 2004. The event was held prior to Cover the Uninsured Week to build national momentum for the Week, raise awareness of the issue of the uninsured, generate support for and participation in local activities across the country, and spread out national media coverage over a two-week period. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senator John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), former Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan, and Dr. Robert Ross, president and CEO of The California Endowment, joined RWJF president and CEO Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey and Cover the Uninsured Week national spokesperson Noah Wyle at the press conference. To put a human face on the issue, an uninsured woman from Illinois spoke about the tragic loss of her uninsured brother earlier this year due to a delayed diagnosis of colon cancer. In addition, a small-business owner from Texas conveyed her frustration over not being able to afford coverage for herself and her employees.

GMMB created a framework for events, and developed supporting materials that could be tailored to fit the needs of local communities. These events were designed to draw attention to the issue, call for solutions, and provide opportunities for individuals and organizations to offer direct assistance to the uninsured. Two events tailored for the campus and interfaith communities were designed to build support for and raise awareness about the Week. In addition, new research was released at multiple events during the Week.

ADVERTISING AND MATERIALS
GMMB implemented a three-tiered advertising strategy in support of Cover the Uninsured Week 2004 that included ad placements nationally, in the Washington, D.C., media market, and in select target markets around the country. Between April 25, 2004, and May 14, 2004, advertising appeared on television and radio, in print and outdoors.

Cover the Uninsured Week materials, including campaign brochures, promotional postcards, information cards, posters, and planning guides for interfaith activities and health fairs, were produced. An issues guide entitled, “Health Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions,” was developed to provide a comprehensive cross-section of information about how Americans get coverage, who is uninsured, and why coverage is important. It also outlined various policy approaches to securing coverage for more Americans and listed questions to ask when considering various policy options. In addition, a “Guide to Health Insurance Options for Small Businesses” was designed to explain to small-business owners the benefits of offering coverage to their employees, state regulations, and health care coverage options for small businesses. Both a national guide and state-specific inserts for target markets were developed. Nearly 1.2 million of these materials and guides were distributed to organizations and individuals all across the country.

GMMB also partnered with NetCampaign to redesign the campaign Web site, www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org, to make it more user-friendly for media, opinion leaders, event planners, uninsured individuals and the general public. The site allowed individuals to log on and read personal stories of uninsured Americans, learn what they can do to promote awareness of the issue, find ways to plan and participate in Cover the Uninsured Week activities, compare current legislation, download materials, and learn about the campaign’s partner organizations.

TOLL-FREE NUMBER
A toll-free hotline was developed to provide information to uninsured individuals. The hotline featured a recording that allowed the caller to order a free state-specific resource guide in English or Spanish that included information about programs and assistance for those without health coverage, as well as other information about health insurance, health care and prescription medications. A total of 102 versions of the resource guide were produced, including one in English and one in Spanish for each state and the District of Columbia.

RESULTS

• Former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter served as Honorary Co-Chairs of Cover the Uninsured Week, signaling strong, bipartisan support for the Week.
• Nine former Health and Human Services secretaries, Health, Education and Welfare secretaries, and surgeons general from both Republican and Democratic administrations signed a letter to the American people in support of Cover the Uninsured Week.
• More than 2,700 local events took place in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
• Nearly 250 national organizations and more than 2,500 local organizations participated.
• More than 447 million media impressions were generated from thousands of television, radio, newspaper and magazine stories.
• More than 300 people attended the national launch event, including 40 reporters from media outlets such as People magazine, Reuters News Service, Cox News Service, Associated Press Radio, National Journal, Health News Daily, Modern Healthcare, Univision, CNN, NBC and BET.
• Leaders from more than 30 principle faith organizations representing Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions endorsed the Week.
• PSA’s featuring Noah Wyle, Marg Helgenberger, Jane Kaczmarek and Chi McBride aired in key markets, including Boston, Denver, Lexington, Ky., Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Fla., Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and St. Louis.
• A total of 25 professional and minor league sports teams, including Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and Major League Soccer, agreed to participate in Cover the Uninsured Week.
• Nearly 20,000 people called the campaign’s toll-free hotline.
• Nearly 1.7 million copies of Cover the Uninsured Week materials were requested.
• The campaign’s Web site, www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org, received 370,693 unique visitors between September 1, 2003, and September 1, 2004.