Dueling ad campaigns seek to educate public about reform law

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Advertisements and promotions for the healthcare reform law are starting to pop up throughout the country--both for and against the legislation.

Organizing for Action, a nonprofit that spun off from President Barack Obama's political campaigns, released new ads supporting the reform law and highlighting its benefits for consumers, including free preventive services and health insurance rebates, reported The Hill's Healthwatch.

"The elimination of lifetime caps enforces one of the key values of Obamacare: No one should go bankrupt just because they've been sick," OFA said, adding that its ads are helping "push back on the misleading rhetoric from opponents."

In its commercial, a mom of a daughter who underwent heart surgery at 15 hours old expresses relief that that the reform law prevents insurers from placing lifetime caps on health costs, CNN reported. "Before ObamaCare, insurance companies could put lifetime caps on your health insurance. Once you hit that cap, they don't pay anymore," the mother says. "Thanks to ObamaCare we can now afford the care that Zoe needs, and for her, that's a lifesaver."

Meanwhile, the conservative group Americans for Prosperity launched a $1 million ad campaign that emphasizes the reform law's negative points. In its ad, a mother worries the reform law will prevent her from choosing a doctor for her sick son, causing the quality of care he will receive to decrease. "Can I really trust the folks in Washington with my family's healthcare? I think we all deserve some answers," the mother says in the ad.

"We feel it's important to provide education on the true consequences of government intrusion into the private healthcare decisions of families, and provide a counter to disinformation that's out there," AFP President Tim Phillips said this week in a statement.

To learn more:
- read The Hill's Healthwatch article
- read the CNN article
- check out Americans for Prosperity's statement

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