According to a post this week in Politico, supporters of President Obama’s plans to create a government overhaul of the health care industry have joined to fight the media and grassroots success of conservative coalitions in efforts to redirect public opinion of liberal reform proposals.
The group, known as Americans for Stable Quality Care, plans to drop more than $12 million in media buys during the remainder of August recess. The advertising campaign began Thursday at 11 a.m., with targeted states that include Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Virginia.
Americans for Stable Quality Care attempts to counter the Health Care Freedom Coalition, a free market-inspired group of powerful conservative organizations, including Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Prosperity, American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, 60 Plus, Medical Society of the District of Columbia, among more than 60 others.
Americans for Stable Quality Care is funded largely by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a group that vowed to spend $150 million from their own coffers to promote Obamacare. It is no surprise that PhRMA serves as the head of this coalition, as the successful passage of sweeping health care legislation would mean their monopoly on the pharmaceutical market in America.
Some of the other member organizations are:
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- The SEIU is the only labor union given a coveted seat at the bargaining table in the health care reform debate. With liabilities in excess of $1.5 billion and a dwindling account of only $1 billion assets, the SEIU desperately needs Obamacare to pass to ease up their financial concerns and retain members. They have been one of the most powerful voices on the Left in advocating health care reform, conducting rallies, crashing conservative events, blogging, etc.
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Despite their early, vocal disapproval of President Obama’s health care reform proposals, the AMA submitted to the White House and Congressional Democrats and began supporting their proposals. According to Kathryn Serkes of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), it was in exchange for a few extra dollars in Medicare reimbursements, even though President Obama ignored their calls for tort reform as a part of health care legislation. The AMA represents a small, diminishing number of doctors, with many leaving the professional organization due to their positions on political issues.
- FamiliesUSA
- FamiliesUSA is a self-described “progressive American non-profit consumer health-care advocacy organization” that focuses on grassroots activism, lobbying the Hill and financial development to promote liberal health care agenda. Their new Web site, Stand up for Health Care, includes a blog and activist mobilization page, recruiting new supporters for their cause. FamiliesUSA is certainly an arm of the liberal movement, touting affiliations with powerful Democrats in Congress, including Sen. Chris Dodd, who just so happens to act as ranking member of the Senate’s HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee and who has been instrumental in the development of health care reform legislation.
Federation of American Hospitals
- The Federation of American Hospitals, representing 1,700 medical institutions in the U.S., spent 71 percent of its campaign contributions in 2008 to support Democrats. Strangely enough, the group is headed by Chip Kahn, one of the masterminds behind the defeat of Hillarycare in 1993.
Politico reports that member organizations understand the necessity of working together to fight the conservative push:
The official provides a little more backstory: ‘These groups were part of a looser coalition that started back in January that focused on the links between health reform and the economy. 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.’
Here is the advertisement with which they will blitz the airwaves:
Tags: AMA, American Medical Association, Americans for Stable Quality Care, Americans for Tax Reform, Chip Kahn, Ellen Carmichael, FamiliesUSA, Health Care Freedom Coalition, PhRMA, SEIU, Service Employees International Union
