Sen. Pryor debuts campaign ad embracing health law provisions

The Arkansas Democrat, who is in a tough reelection fight, talked about his own struggle with cancer and how the health law provisions that prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to people with medical problems could have helped him.

The Associated Press: Pryor's 'Obamacare' Ad Highlights His Cancer Fight
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor reached into his own medical history Tuesday to explain his vote on the nation's new health care law, telling Arkansans his battle with a rare cancer 18 years ago influenced him. The two-term Democrat, who is in a tough re-election battle, fought a clear-cell sarcoma discovered after a pickup basketball game. He had five weeks of chemotherapy and a 13-hour surgery that his campaign called experimental (8/20).

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Democrat Pryor Embraces Obama Health-Care Law In Ad
Mr. Pryor discusses his own battle with cancer and appears for the first time in a campaign ad with his father, former Sen. and Gov. David Pryor, one of the state's most popular Democrats. Although the senator does not mention the Affordable Care Act by name, he touts his support for the law proudly after his father mentions that his son's insurance company didn't want to pay for treatment after he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 1996 (Hook, 8/20).

The Hill: Pryor Touts Vote For O-Care In New Ad
"When Mark was diagnosed with cancer, we thought we might lose him," David Pryor says in the ad. "Mark's insurance company didn't want to pay for the treatment that ultimately saved his life." The younger Pryor then cites ObamaCare regulations that force insurance companies to provide coverage for pre-existing conditions (Joseph, 8/20).

Bloomberg/Businessweek: Democrat Runs On Obamacare Without Mentioning Obamacare
A Democratic politician fighting for reelection is using a strategy few would have imagined six months ago: Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor just released a new ad boasting about his yea vote for Obamacare. Well, sort of. The ad never mentions the Affordable Care Act by name. Instead, it begins with Pryor and his father talking about the senator's own cancer treatment and fighting with his insurer to get it covered (Tozzi, 8/20).