New Ads Invoke AIG, Critical of Obama $634 Billion Health Budget
The Conservatives for Patients' Rights Action Fund, a group founded by health care entrepreneur Rick Scott, today launched Phase Two of a campaign to protect America's health care system from government waste and inefficiency.
A hard-hitting TV spot that leverages Congressional embarrassment over the AIG bonus scandal urges viewers to tell Congress not to spend billions of dollars messing with health care without knowing what they are buying first.
"After the embarrassment of the AIG bonus scandal, these same people are now talking about ramming a $634 billion health care plan through Congress, and we still don't have any details," Scott said. It makes no sense. Congress is being asked to appropriate $634 billion for a plan neither it nor the public has seen. We are talking here about changing health care for every American with no debate. It should not be fast-tracked, the American people have the right to read the President's plan before our representatives are asked to appropriate over $600 billion of our hard earned money. This is the same expedited process that took place with the stimulus plan, that lead to the surprises over the AIG bonuses. I say no more surprises! Congress should slow down and reject the $634 billion in health care spending until they have seen the details, Scott continued."
CPR's phase two advertising campaign starts with an initial $600,000 ad buy, with ads airing nationally on CNN and FOX News. However, if the budget reconciliation process drags on into Congress' Easter recess, CPR will increase spending to $1 million, extending the TV spots through the Easter break.
CPR also released the results of a poll of 1200 registered voters conducted March 18-22. Margin of Error: +/- 2.8.
1. Recently President Obama proposed a $634 BILLION dollar budget that he called a "down payment on healthcare reform." This healthcare budget is funded with approximately $300 BILLION in costs savings and $300 BILLION dollars in new tax increases. Critics of the President's healthcare budget say that it doesn't provide specific details of the President's healthcare plan or how the new money will be spent and Congress shouldn't pass a budget without a specific detailed plan. Supporters of the President's healthcare budget say that we need to get started reforming healthcare and the President has provided enough of an outline of his plan for Congress to pass his plan. Knowing this, which of the following statements comes CLOSEST to your opinion? (ROTATE)
60% - Congress should NOT pass the President's healthcare budget without having specific details of the President's healthcare plan and how the money will be spent.
36% - Congress SHOULD pass the President's healthcare budget because we need to get started reforming healthcare and the President has provided enough of an outline to move forward.
4% - Don't Know/Refused
Conservatives for Patients' Rights launched earlier this month with a $500,000 ad campaign touting the organization's four pillars of free market health care reform: choice, competition, accountability and personal responsibility. For more information, please visit www.cprights.org.
The 30 second TV script set to begin airing tomorrow runs as follows:
Press Contact: Brian Burgess or Romney Beebe at 703.683.5004