The National Coalition on Health Care - in a letter to both major presidential candidates and every member of Congress - has urged political leaders to "commit to putting aside partisan and ideological differences - and to reforming America's health care system - in the national interest."

In the letter, the Coalition called on Senators John McCain and Barack Obama and their colleagues in the Congress to "make health care reform a personal, as well as a national, priority."

For additional information, please click on the press release.

For the Members Only webpage, click here.

Did you know?

The number of uninsured in the U.S. increased by nearly 8 million people between 2000 and 2007.

Nearly 18 percent of non-elderly Americans -- 46 million people -- were without health insurance coverage in 2007. Nearly one in every six people in the U.S. has no health insurance.

It is estimated that nearly 90 million people -- about one third of the population below 65 -- spent a portion of either 2007 or 2008 without health coverage.

The percentage of people with employment-based health insurance has dropped from 70 percent in 1987 to 60 percent in 2007.

The number of uninsured children in 2007 was 8.1 million or 10.7 percent of all children.

Nearly 3.5 million fewer children had health insurance in 2006 than in 2000.

Uninsured Americans get about half the medical care of those with health insurance. Compared to people with health insurance, the uninsured receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease states and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates.

About 170,000 unnecessary deaths have occurred this decade due to lack of health insurance.

It is estimated that we have spent as a nation nearly 16 trillion dollars on health care since 2000, but this expenditure has not resulted in demonstrably better quality of care or better patient satisfaction compared to other nations.

It is estimated that we will have spent $2.4 trillion on health care services in 2008 about 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense.

Health care spending is estimated to reach $4.3 trillion a year by 2017 just eight years from now.

Health insurance premiums for employers have increased 100 percent since 2000.

The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $13,000 in 2008.

The average employee contribution to company-provided health insurance increased more than 120 percent since 1999.

Average out-of-pocket costs for co-payments, such as for prescriptions, deductibles and coinsurance for doctor visits, rose 115 percent since 1999.

National surveys consistently show that the primary reason people are uninsured is because health coverage is too expensive.

The Institute of Medicine estimates that nearly 100,000 patients die in hospitals each year due to medical errors. This is three times the number who dies on the highways.

It is estimated that nearly 800,000 patients have died in hospitals due to avoidable medical errors since 2000.

Unnecessary medical accidents, errors and poor quality are the nationÕs third leading cause of death, just behind cancer and heart disease.

Recent studies show that only a little more than one-half of adult patients receive recommended care for their medical conditions.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults, or an estimated 116 million people annually, struggle to pay medical bills, go without needed care because of cost, are uninsured for a time, or are underinsured (i.e., insured but not adequately protected from high medical expenses).