Health care showdown shifts to TV ads

WASHINGTON -- The health care battle bubbling over in town-hall forums across the country this month is shifting to television screens as groups on each side of the issue launch multimillion-dollar ad blitzes to influence the debate.

Advocacy groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AARP are spending a combined $500,000 on health care ads every day, according to the non-partisan Campaign Media Analysis Group, and are reaching TV viewers in more than 20 states.

The bombardment of advertising comes as President Obama and Democrats in Congress have tried to refocus the national dialogue over health care and explain their proposals after some lawmakers faced stiff criticism at town-hall-style meetings at home this month.

"We've gone from a situation where everyone is cheerleading on the sidelines to where everyone is putting on the pads and getting on the field," said Evan Tracey with the Campaign Media Analysis Group. "You're really starting to see this stuff pop."

All groups have invested a combined $57 million in health care ads this year, Tracey said, and supporters have outspent those who oppose the legislation by roughly 2-to-1.

A coalition called Americans for Stable Quality Care launched a $12 million campaign Thursday supporting the health care effort. The ad, focused on how the legislation would affect people who have insurance, highlights a provision that protects people with pre-existing conditions from losing coverage.

"It's going to be a very noisy August," said Ken Johnson of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the drug industry's trade group and a leading funder of the new coalition. "We're trying to raise awareness of why health care reform is so important."

The ads will initially run for two weeks in 12 states, including Maine, Colorado, Virginia and Montana, said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, another member of the coalition. The states are home to lawmakers who could be swing votes on health care.