Record Number of Americans Lack Health...(nks the report will spur the debate over...),Health

"When you consider how large this increase is, I would think this would build momentum, feed the fire for the health care reform debate that we hope we will see in 2009 under leadership from the White House and the Congress," she said.

Gail Shearer, health policy director at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, said Congress and the Bush administration should immediately "rededicate" themselves to expanding health insurance coverage.

"This substantial increase in the uninsured should get everyone's attention," she added in a prepared statement. "We should not have to wait until the next president takes office to deal with this very real problem. Congress and the President ought to commit to expanding coverage now."

The American Medical Association also said the new numbers on uninsured Americans demand legislative action.

"Today's announcement on the increase in the number of uninsured Americans is a forceful reminder that action is desperately needed. Currently, 47 million Americans, including nearly nine million children, don't have health insurance coverage," AMA board member Dr. Joseph Heyman said in a prepared statement.

"It is unconscionable that the number of uninsured children has substantially increased over the past year. Children are our future, and for kids to get a good start in life, they need access to regular visits to the doctor," he added.

"Covering America's kids is the first step toward covering all Americans. The AMA just launched a three-year, multi-million dollar campaign called "Voice For The Uninsured" to spur action to cover the uninsured," Heyman said.

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