60 Plus Announces New 9 State TV Campaign
Alexandria, VA – In the wake of the Senate’s vote on Saturday to take up the health care reform legislation, the 60 Plus Association today announced a new advertising campaign targeting Senators in nine states – Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
The target Senators are: Mark Begich (D-AK), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and Tim Johnson (D-SD).
The new $2.0 million ad buy highlights the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report which confirms cuts to Medicare of half a trillion dollars and reports seniors could have benefits cut and could “jeopardize access” to health care.
The :30 second TV ad begins running in each state tomorrow. See the national version at www.60plus.org. See the Florida version here.
“This should be a week of Thanks, but these Senators will be receiving ‘No Thanks’ from seniors. The chief actuary says the House bill cuts Medicare. The Senate bill is no better. Seniors have already lost their Social Security COLA and now President Obama, Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi want to cut Medicare, too. Senators should take notice, seniors are upset and taking a stand to say ‘Don’t cut our Medicare,’” said Jim Martin, President of 60 Plus.
Titled “Devastating”, the ad features the new report from CMS citing the potential effects to Medicare and the coverage seniors would receive, and members of our Greatest Generation begging Congress not to cut Medicare to pay for health care reform. The state specific ad asks seniors to call their Senator, and ends with a senior reminding Congress “Seniors will NOT forget.”
“Members of Congress are trying to hide behind the AARP endorsement of this bill as a defense, but AARP makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year on royalty payments from selling insurance plans. Senators would be smart to read the bill and listen to the experts that run Medicare, instead of hiding behind the rhetoric and accounting gimmicks in Sen. Reid’s bill,” continued Martin.
With this buy, 60 Plus has now allocated over $8 million to the health care debate.
Carl Forti: 703-535-3390
