More than 45.7 million Americans – including 8.1 million children – lack health insurance at any given time. This crisis has profound consequences for the nation, straining our social fabric and weakening our economy. We are less healthy, less productive, and less secure financially than we could and should be. In 2006, AHIP issued a comprehensive proposal to cover every American based on a system of shared responsibility among individuals, employers, health plans and government. In 2007, AHIP released a proposal to guarantee access to health care coverage in the individual market. We also affirmed our support for giving consumers the right to binding third-party review of coverage determinations.