Research shows that women with breast cancer who do not have health insurance have a 30 to 50 percent higher risk of dying than those with private coverage. Uninsured patients with colorectal cancer are about 50 percent more likely to die than patients with private coverage, even when the cancer is diagnosed at similar stages.

The Institute of Medicine estimates that 18,000 adults in America die each year because they are uninsured. Cover the Uninsured Week in Tampa Bay is funded primarily by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest philanthropy dedicated exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans.

In addition, The California Endowment and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation are providing significant funds for events throughout the nation. "The unacceptably high number of uninsured Americans, a majority of them in working families, means that Americans from every walk of life and point of view can and must work very hard to guarantee that all Americans have the health care coverage they need," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "We know all too well that people who are uninsured are often forced to delay care and suffer with illness, and the health and financial consequences can be devastating."

Events in Tampa Bay are similar to hundreds of others being planned in communities across the United States as part of Cover the Uninsured Week. A complete listing of events in Tampa Bay and around the country is available at CoverTheUninsuredWeek/states/ .