Health-Reform Ad Fight Heats Up --$52 Million Spent So Far

[steven johnson]

The healthcare debate is taking on the image of a political campaign for election with stump speeches and huge advertising budgets. But then this may be the start of the 2010 midterm election campaign. I'm betting healthcare will be a major topic.

By Ben Pershing
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 5, 2009

The increasingly heated fight over health-care legislation is saturating the summer airwaves, with groups on all sides of the debate pouring tens of millions of dollars into advertising campaigns designed to push the cause of reform forward, slow it down or stop it in its tracks.

Drugmakers, labor unions, both national political parties and the sector currently under the heaviest fire -- health insurance companies -- are all weighing in with significant ad buys. Nationwide, more than $52 million has been spent this year on health-care reform-related ads, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, setting the stage for what may be a record-breaking legislative battle.

"This has the potential to certainly be the biggest as far as an advocacy advertising campaign goes," said Evan Tracey, CMAG's chief operating officer.

Of the $52 million spent so far, CMAG calculates that the largest share -- $23 million -- has come from groups advertising broadly in favor of overhauling the health-care system, without necessarily positioning for or against the plans being advanced by Obama and congressional Democrats.

Groups Take Health-Reform Debate to Airwaves

[Quantess]

1. K & R

[nightrain]

2. K&R. Very tragic that so much money is being spent on advertising, rather

than on provision of SERVICES. 52 million dollars is a whole lot of well-baby visits, and routine labwork for diabetics, and mammograms!

[Quantess]

3. This needs another kick

The broccoli theft thread is up to 250 posts and might make it to the Greatest page.