AARP, Disease Advocates Backing Universal Coverage
AARP and four national disease advocacy groups on Tuesday launched "Are You Covered," a public awareness campaign that seeks to encourage presidential candidates to focus on universal health insurance in their campaigns, the Nashua Telegraph reports (Landrigan, Nashua Telegraph, 5/23).
As part of the campaign, the CEOs of AARP, the Alzheimer's Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association on Tuesday held rallies in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina -- each of which has an early presidential primary or caucus -- to discuss goals for universal health insurance. In addition, supporters of the groups took buses to visit the campaign offices of presidential candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire to promote universal health insurance (California Healthline, 5/21). The campaign does not endorse specific candidates or universal health insurance proposals.
At a rally in New Hampshire, AARP President and CEO Bill Novelli said, "This is a history-making day for us," adding, "We are going to let them know we will hold them accountable to the voters for what they do or not do" (Nashua Telegraph, 5/23).