The claim that health care reform would harm seniors isn't anything new. In recent months, Republicans have refused to back away from the cynical politics of scaring seniors and claiming reform will make premiums skyrocket for traditional Medicare recipients. A new coalition - Seniors to Seniors -- seeks to provide a clear and concise overview of health reform and what it means for you.

This coalition of senior citizen advocacy organizations (including AARP, Families USA and SEIU) is working to educate seniors about what the current health care reform legislation means for them. The coalition's goal is to help filter through the hype and all the clutter to inform seniors about how health insurance reform will help keep doctors in Medicare, stop physician payment cuts, improve long term care choices, keep Medicare affordable, and close the prescription drug "doughnut hole."

CIR/SEIU Healthcare President Dr. L Toni Lewis, MPO Loretta Johnson and Linda Bock, RN of 1199SEIU Maryland, all appear in the coalition's new video about health reform. Watch here:

The changes Congress is considering would protect Medicare for today's seniors and for future generations, so all Americans can have the health coverage they need when they retire. Learn more at www.seniorstoseniors.org.

More about the House's passage of H.R. 3962, "The Affordable Health Care for America" Act" on Nov. 7th here.

A new TV ad airing in 12 states informs middle class families who have health insurance why healthcare reform is good for all Americans.

The ad, "Eight Ways Reform Matters to You" is the second in a series supported by the American Medical Association (AMA), FamiliesUSA, the Federation of American Hospitals, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the SEIU. More facts about reform at www.TruthAboutReform.org.

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).

Multi-Million Dollar Television Ad Buy Unveiled Today Promotes Health Care Reform as a Top Domestic Priority for the Next President and the New Congress

Washington, D.C. - Six organizations representing consumers, physicians, insurers, patients and pharmaceutical research companies are banding together to launch a new multi-million dollar national television advertising buy. Their common message: In order to fix the ailing economy, the nation needs health care reform that addresses the related problems of health care costs and people losing health coverage.

The groups are the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the American Medical Association (AMA), Families USA, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Regence BlueCross BlueShield, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

The ad will air at least until Feb. 5 and focuses visually on the nation's manufacturing sector, but the organizations all agree that every sector of the economy will benefit from health care reform. The ad opens with: "At a time when American businesses are hurting, why should we worry about fixing health care? Because quality, affordable health care can save money and make businesses more competitive."

"Cancer patients across the country--including those with insurance--often must dig deep into their savings and risk financial ruin to pay for cancer treatment and care," said John R. Seffrin, Ph. D., Chief Executive Officer of the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN. "Elected officials should recognize what American families already know--that fixing the economy requires that we fix the broken health care system."

"Healing our health care system is a key component to jumpstarting our national economy. As our new ad makes clear--quality, affordable health care is good for families and it's good for businesses," said AMA President Nancy H. Nielsen, M.D.

"While businesses and families cope with unaffordable health care costs, many workers are losing their jobs and health coverage," said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. "As a result, it's clear that America's economic difficulties require meaningful health care reform. It's this message that animates our ad campaign."

"Expanding access to quality and affordable health insurance is good for patients and good for our economy," Billy Tauzin, President and CEO of PhRMA, said today. "Improved access means we can do more to promote prevention and more to detect and treat conditions at an early stage, when we can do the most to avoid poor health outcomes and costly complications of chronic diseases, which account for seven out of every ten deaths in America."

"Given the nation's economic and health care crises, now is the time to bring meaningful, lasting change to our health care system," said Mark Ganz, President and CEO of Regence. "We urge President-elect Obama and Congressional leaders to bring together stakeholders who are willing to discard outdated concepts and collaborate on practical solutions."

"As the economy sputters, the need to fix healthcare is becoming more and more urgent. The clock is ticking," said Andy Stern, President of SEIU, the nation's largest union of healthcare workers. "It will take all of us--individuals, corporate leaders, healthcare providers and the government--working together to solve America's healthcare crisis."

The ad was unveiled today by all the sponsoring organizations at a news conference in Washington, D.C.

About the sponsors:

ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.

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The American Medical Association helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians nationwide to work on the most important professional and public health issues. Working together, the AMA's quarter of a million physician and medical student members are playing an active role in shaping the future of medicine. For more information on the AMA, please visit www.ama-assn.org.

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Families USA is a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Working at the national, state, and community levels, we have earned a national reputation as an effective voice for health care consumers for 25 years. For more information, visit www.familiesusa.org

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With 2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.

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Regence BlueCross BlueShield is a leading health insurer in the Northwest/Mountain State Region, offering health, life and dental insurance. Regence serves nearly three million members as Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueShield (selected counties in Washington), Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield of Idaho. Each plan is a not-for-profit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is committed to improving the health of our members and our communities, and to transforming our health care system. For more information, please visit regence.com.

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The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $44.5 billion in 2007 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $58.8 billion in 2007.

According to the most recent estimates from the Census Bureau, 8.6 million children in the United States lacked health coverage in 2007. Last year, Congress debated and passed two pieces of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which would have reduced the number of uninsured children by almost half and expanded health coverage throughout the nation to as many as 4 million additional uninsured children. President Bush vetoed both bills.

According to Families USA, the vast majority of uninsured children come from families where at least one parent works (88.2 percent), and more than two-thirds of uninsured children--or 68.5 percent--live in households where at least one family member works full-time, year-round. And more than half of the nation's uninsured children come from low-income families with incomes below twice the poverty level, who are likely eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP.

So although the Bush Administration proclaimed it would "leave no child behind" when it comes to education, 8.6 million American children - a majority of whom are from working families - are being left behind because they lack health coverage. "The sad reality is that kids who don't have health insurance are far more likely to get sidetracked--right at the beginning of their lives--because their families can't afford quality care," said SEIU Healthcare chair Dennis Rivera.

During the current economic downturn as working families are struggling to make ends meet, no one should have to choose between health care for their kids and making a mortgage or rent payment. Hopefully, things will be looking up for the nation's uninsured children in the near future, as the new Administration and president-elect Barack Obama are widely expected to push for eligibility expansions for SCHIP, which is up for reauthorization anyway in the spring.

Rising Tide of Support for SCHIP

Two-thirds of the public (82 percent) supports SCHIP renewal and extending children's health benefits to legal immigrant children, according to a poll released yesterday by child advocacy group First Focus. Key poll results also show that 67 percent of respondents favored eliminating the five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children, while 19 percent were opposed. [SCHIP is not available to legal immigrants during their first five years in the country, with the exception of those living in states that use state funds to cover legal immigrants who qualify.]

Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) hailed the poll as evidence of the nation's broad, bipartisan support for renewal of the SCHIP program, which expires in March, 2009.

Senator Harry Reid at the announcement:

"The findings announced today confirmed what we knew over a year ago - Americans support providing children with health care coverage and they understand the importance of removing the five-year waiting period for coverage for legal immigrant children and pregnant women."

Senator Rockefeller:

"I look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the Congressional leadership to quickly reauthorize CHIP so that millions of uninsured children - including legal immigrant children - receive the health coverage they need."

Poll respondents favored expanding SCHIP by a margin of 79-15 to ensure that all children in America, including legal immigrant children, have health care coverage.

"In the debate of 2007, Republicans used the coverage of legal immigrant children against expanding the children's health insurance program," said First Focus spokesperson Christopher Spina to CQ yesterday. "We clearly now see a mandate among the American people."

More findings from the First Focus poll.