September 2008

Tonight, a documentary that should be required viewing for anyone interested in the great health care debate of our time will air on the Public Broadcasting System. Titled "Critical Condition," the film follows four average Americans suffering from a variety of ailments and struggling to get by without health insurance.

Numbers alone provide ample evidence that we must reform our country's health insurance system: 47 million Americans are uninsured; uninsured cancer patients are 25% more likely to die than insured patients; and uninsured Americans cost employers $130 billion annually. The ill, uninsured Americans who filmmaker Roger Weisberg tracks for a number of months are heartbreaking examples of our system's failings.

No matter your position on top-of-mind health insurance topics such as universal coverage or market improvements, this film will serve as a valuable educational tool concerning the holes in the system and what can be done to remedy them.

"Critical Condition" premieres Tuesday, September 30 at 9 p.m. and will re-air on Wednesday, October 1 at 7 p.m.; Thursday, October 2 at midnight, 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and Sunday, October 5 at noon. Please click here for more details on the program.

Please click here for information on the New York State Health Foundation's initiatives to reduce the number of uninsured.

James R. Knickman
President and CEO