All across the country, right-wingers and opponents of health care reform are spreading misinformation about President Obama's proposals to improve health care coverage for all Americans. To help debunk the misinformation about what health care reform actually means, a new coalition called Americans for Stable Quality Care--which includes the SEIU, American Medical Association (AMA), PhRMA, the Federation of American Hospitals and FamiliesUSA--will launch their first ad today as part of an August recess campaign for health care reform.
From Politico:
The group is likely to be the biggest spender in support of health reform. The campaign will serve as a counterweight to the critics at town meetings, which are getting saturation news coverage while Congress is out of town.In a reversal from former President Bill Clinton's 1993-94 health care debacle, the group's campaign is likely to mean that White House supporters keep the upper hand on the airwaves.
Watch the ad here:
As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, "where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed." In line with prospering the truth about reform, here's the text of the first ad from this coalition:
What DOES health insurance reform mean for you? It means you can't be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition, or dropped if you get sick. It means putting health-care decisions in the hands of you and your doctor. It means lower costs, a cap on out-of-pocket expenses, tough new rules to cut waste and red tape, and a focus on PREVENTING illness before it strikes. So what does health insurance reform really mean? Quality, affordable care you can count on.
An official from Americans for Stable Quality Care elaborates on the groups' objectives for the campaign, saying "Now that the debate is turning on what health reform means for the individual, they felt the need to launch a new front that addresses some of those particulars while debunking some of the myths that are floating around. Plus, these groups recognize that their collective voice packs more punch than if they were to just speak out individually." The ads will air in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Virginia.
For the 47 million Americans without health insurance and the rest of the country, reform in health care is worth doing. If you're looking for an opportunity to help turn the tide on reform, attend a town hall to contribute to civil public debate about important healthcare issues our country faces. Find a town hall meeting near you (hat tip to FireDogLake).
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I think what is most amazing is that the SEIU is spending money on this when this health care bill indicates the American taxpayer will subsidize the unions. Perhaps they should pay their fair share since they can afford this very expensive campaign when the American people (at least who still have a job) have to just go to town hall meetings and let their representatives know their displeasure.
I might further say, this huge campaign really isn't going to matter much now that people have seen the bill and know they do not want this president taking over our health care system to redistribute that too in his march to put himself in charge of a socialist government and take away more of our freedoms. So, they can run the ads and those who vote in favor of this bill will find themselves out on the street. So, in the end, it won't be who can afford the most expensive campaign as it was in the presidential election, it will very likely be the greatest number who do not want a socialist health care system that has failed everywhere else in the world it has been tried without the use of cash advance.