Health law, Medicare remain hot topics in campaign commercials

Politico reports that, although the health law and other related issues may not be the flashpoints they were in other recent election years, they still have muscle on the campaign trail. For instance, Kentucky's Senate candidates both are running Medicare ads. In Georgia's Senate race, rural health care is part of the buzz.

Politico: Firm: Health Care Still Big In Midterms
It may not pack the punch it did a few years ago, but health care is still a potent issue in the battle for the Senate this fall. So says an analysis Thursday by the Republican data firm Deep Root Analytics that reported the issue -- which includes Obamacare and Medicare -- has been the subject of more campaign commercials than any other (Hohmann, 9/18).

The Associated Press: New KY Senate Campaign Ads Target Medicare
Kentucky's U.S. Senate candidates turned their attention to Medicare on Thursday with a pair of statewide TV ads targeting the state's roughly 800,000 seniors who benefit from the government health insurance program. Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes turned to her grandmother once again for a starring role, only this time it was a serious discussion about her grandfather's stroke in 2000. Elsie Case, who appeared in a popular ad during Grimes' 2011 run for Secretary of State, talked about the financial pressure caused by her husband's stroke in 2000. Grimes comes from a wealthy family. Her father owns several successful businesses, and records show her family has made political contributions of more than $100,000 over the years. But in a statement released by the campaign, Case said she and her husband, who died in 2010, have always been proud people and "we wanted to do it on our own." "This is why we have to strengthen Medicare. Senator McConnell has voted over and over again to raise seniors' Medicare costs. I'll never do that," Grimes said. McConnell's campaign responded quickly with an ad on the air by midafternoon designed to show his compassion for seniors dealing with health issues (Beam, 9/18).

Georgia Health News: What Nunn, Perdue Have To Say About The Rural Care Crisis
Rural health care -- and what to do about it -- has emerged as a political issue during this election year. The topic has gained traction in the wake of four rural Georgia hospitals closing in the past two years over financial difficulties. Many others have severe cash flow problems, and rural counties have an extreme shortage of primary care physicians. A large percentage of residents have chronic health conditions. Michelle Nunn and David Perdue, in a tight race for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, have widely differing solutions to this crisis. In an updated election guide, produced by Healthcare Georgia Foundation, the two candidates answer a new question about rural health care (Miller, 9/18)..