FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 8, 2000
Contact: Tim Clarke, Jr., AMSA Director of Public Relations
Daytime Phone: (703) 620-6600, ext. 207

Reston, VA-The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's largest, independent medical student organization, today expressed its bitter disappointment in this year's presidential election, regardless of the winner. With its complete lack of attention to America's debilitating health crises-including the plight of over 44 million uninsured Americans, pervasive health disparities for minority and rural populations, and the lack of true comprehensive reform towards meaningful universal health care-the American people were not served by this year's major electoral contests.

"Campaign contributions-from health insurance industry groups, pharmaceutical companies and physician organizations such as the American Medical Association-to anti-patient candidates during this election cycle have jeopardized the immediate future of health reform in America," said Sindhu Srinivas, MD, national president of AMSA.

One model of universal health care shows that a middle-income family would contribute about $732 a year for full coverage. According to the November 6, 2000 edition of The Washington Post, the 2000 presidential and congressional campaigns spent more than $3 billion dollars during this election cycle. That same $3 billion dollars, wasted by not addressing real health issues, could have provided quality health care to over 4 million, currently uninsured American families.

"The major candidates will disagree with the statement that they paid no attention to health issues this year," said Josh Rising, a medical student at Boston University and AMSA's legislative affairs director. "Yes, they both discussed a politically-friendly prescription drug benefit for Medicare and expanded coverage for children. But what about real universal health care? What about the tragedy of 10 million uninsured children? What about addressing statistics that show that infant mortality rates are twice as high among African-American infants as whites?"

"Since we are in the midst of the best economic times this country has ever seen," continued Rising, "this is our chance to address the country's health needs once and for all." Numerous studies have shown that by redirecting the $1 trillion Americans spend on healthcare into a universal health-care system, the United States could insure everyone and provide the highest standard of care in the world.