American Association for Labor Legislation

The American Association for Labor Legislation, (AALL) was an early advocacy group for national health insurance in the United States of America, founded in 1905.[1][2]

In 1905 the American Association for Labor Legislation was founded by a small group of economists. Initially their goal was "the study of labor conditions and labor legislation in the United States. By 1909, however, under the leadership of John Andrews, this "study" group took an activist turn and began actively promoting, lobbying for, and effecting major changes in worker's compensation, occupational health and safety, and child labor laws."[3]

In 1912 Theodore Roosevelt included social insurance for sickness in the platform of his Progressive Party (United States, 1912). Around 1915 the group American Association for Labor Legislation attempted to introduce a medical insurance bill to some state legislatures. These attempts were not successful, and as a result controversy about national insurance came about. National groups supporting the idea of government health insurance included the AFL-CIO, the American Nurses Association, National Association of Social Workers, and the Socialist Party USA. The most prominent opponent of national medical insurance was the American Medical Association (AMA); others included the American Hospital Association, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the Life Insurance Association of People.

The American Association for Labor Legislation continued to take part in the health advocacy. For example, in 1917, they proposed a national health insurance act that included a provision for weekly cash allocations for pregnant women.