Chamber of Commerce unleashes new health reform warning ads; other stakeholders emphasize affordability

Roll Call: "Business groups are continuing their air war against the health care overhaul efforts as Congressional Democrats inch closer to crafting the final plan." The coalition is led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which released new TV spots Thursday. "The ad, which will play on national cable television channels for a week, warns of hidden taxes in the health care bill that will increase costs for consumers at the drugstore, at the hospital and in their paychecks." Officials declined to say how much the ads cost (Roth, 1/7).

The Associated Press: "Labor leaders, elected officials and progressives are urging President Barack Obama and Congress to make health insurance more affordable for low-income Americans." More than "750 religious leaders, elected officials and health care administrators from across the country" said in a letter to lawmakers and President Obama Thursday that the "House version of the health care bill covers more uninsured. They also said the bill sets premiums and out-of-pocket costs at levels that low-income families could handle." The letter stopped short of endorsing either the House or Senate bill but urged that the "best of each" be included in the final version (1/7).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.