A coalition of unions plans to spend $40 million on an advertising campaign launched on Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. in order to improve access of Americans to affordable health care.

The Health Care for American NOW campaign will spend $1 million on their first round of national TV, print and online advertising and an additional $25 million in paid media over the next five months.

The campaign has the backing of 100 labor groups, community organizations, medical groups, and activists. They include high-profile organizations such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, SEIU, AFL-CIO, United Food and Commercial Workers, Campaign for America's Future, Center for American Progress Action Fund, MoveOn.org and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Their leaders were present in D.C. to speak at the launch.

Campaign Director Richard Kirsch said the Health Care for American NOW campaign “will mobilize millions of Americans to demand that the first order of business of the next President and Congress is to enact quality, affordable health care for all in 2009,” the ABC News reports.

The campaign is proposing reforms that would allow Americans to keep the coverage they currently have, join new private insurance plans or opt into a public health insurance plan. There are currently 47 million Americans lacking any coverage.

“For decades, we have heard promises and pledges from politicians, yet nothing gets done. Millions of Americans live without health care. Millions more are denied the care they need by insurance companies that put profits ahead of patients,” Danny Homan, president American Federation of State, County and Municipal Emplyees Council 61, said.