The U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week stepped up its advertising and lobbying efforts to combat a government-run public health plan option favored by most Democrats crafting health care reform.
The big-business group announced Tuesday that it was launching a print and online advertising campaign — worth more than $2 million — in five states and that it was stepping up its grass-roots and political organizing to beat back attempts to include the public plan option in health care reform. The five states are Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine and North Carolina.
The chamber’s top lobbyist, Bruce Josten, said those states were selected to help provide cover to Members of Congress who have raised questions with the public plan. “We believe that those Members of Congress who have questioned those issues are exactly doing the kind of thing that elected officials should be doing,” Josten said, “while they continue to work toward a comprehensive approach for health care reform and a bipartisan approach for health care reform.”
The ad’s message, Josten said, is, “Don’t drag down health care reform,” and it will be just the first in the chamber’s effort.
“This is ad No. 1,” he said. “More to come.”
The chamber’s message definitely won’t go unanswered by the other side.
On Tuesday, Democratic consultant James Carville sent out an e-mail to supporters of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee asking for small-dollar contributions to help pay for advertising and messaging in support of the president’s health care reform ideas for the Emergency Health Care Rapid Response Fund.
“You know the Republican attacks on President Obama’s health care plan must be pretty vicious when even Harry and Louise from those infamous TV ads way back when decide to switch sides,” said the Carville e-mail, noting that the insurance industry advertising icons Harry and Louise are now doing ads in favor of health care reform. “From launching attack ads on television, creating ridiculous attack web sites and using every single lie from the Karl Rove playbook, Republicans and their fat-cat CEO friends are doing everything they can to try and derail President Obama’s plan to make health care more affordable for everyone.”
Josten said the chamber and its member companies aren’t trying to derail reforms and actually want a bill.
“We’re paying too much and not getting a fair return on our dollar,” Josten said during a conference call with reporters.
But the chamber believes a public plan will have an unfair advantage and could then crowd out private plans. That will simply shift costs, he said, and “that will ultimately make health care costs higher.”
The chamber supports reforms to the private insurance market as well as new health care technologies, electronic medical records and wellness programs. The chamber, which opposes employer-mandated health care, favors a plan that would make it mandatory for individuals to carry health insurance. Josten also said that even though the chamber opposes the employer mandate, it views the employer-sponsored health insurance system as the foundation for coverage in the country.
Chamber of Commerce Political Director Bill Miller said that in addition to the advertising campaign, the group was mobilizing its grass roots in those same five states. “This is about information, education and then motivation,” Miller said, noting that the effort will continue during the August recess.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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