By Ben Pershing 

A conservative seniors’ group is launching a seven-figure ad campaign against House Democrats who voted for the party’s health-care reform bill Saturday, accusing them of cutting Medicare and saddling future generations with hefty deficits.The 60 Plus Association — an advocacy group that calls itself the “conservative alternative” to AARP — plans to spend $1.5 million on television ads targeting eight Democratic lawmakers and on phone calls against seven more, all in districts with relatively large populations of seniors. The first spot, against Rep. Earl Pomeroy (N.D.), begins airing Thursday morning, while the remainder — targeting Reps. Vic Snyder (Ark.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Brad Ellsworth (Ind.), Baron Hill (Ind.), Dina Titus (Nev.), Tom Perriello (Va.) and Gerald Connolly (Va.) — will launch Thursday night or Friday.”The House passed a 2,000-page health care bill that cuts Medicare $400 billion, raises taxes on small business killing jobs and makes insurance you have cost more,” the announcer says in the TV spot. Seniors then appear to say the lawmaker “betrayed us” and that his or her state “won’t forget” the vote. The automated phone calls will feature a similar message, delivered by singer Pat Boone, 60 Plus’ national spokesman.Though the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee have vowed to go after Democrats who voted for the health-care measure, the 60 Plus effort marks the first major paid advertising campaign from the right since the House vote. Multiple liberal groups have already gone on the air to thank Democrats who voted yes and criticize those who voted no. Conversely, 60 Plus is also launching an ad thanking one Democrat, Rep. Charles Melancon (La.), for voting against the House bill.The 60 Plus Association is active on an array of policy fronts, advancing conservative positions against the estate tax and climate change legislation as well as health care. The group regularly squares off against AARP, which gave the House’s health-care bill a critical boost by endorsing it last week.The issue of Medicare cuts in the House bill has been the subject of controversy. A big chunk of the cuts come through reducing reimbursements to insurers that run the private Medicare Advantage program. Liberals have criticized Medicare Advantage as an inefficient boon to private insurers at the expense of the government and other Medicare enrollees. But conservatives contend that seniors in Medicare Advantage are happy with their plans. And some critics — including 60 Plus — accuse AARP of having a conflict on the issue because the group makes money from endorsing Medigap policies, which would become more popular if Medicare Advantage is cut.As for the ad’s contention that the House bill will increase the deficit, the Congressional Budget Office actually concluded that the measure would reduce the federal deficit by $104 billion. But that does not include the cost, estimated at $240 billion over 10 years, of a separate proposal to adjust the Medicare payment formula for doctors. And conservatives believe the measure will end up becoming another expensive entitlement program as the years go on.  

From The Washington Post. Read article here.