SEPTEMBER 4, 2013
New AFP ObamaCare ad runs in Arizona: My daughter
Seven-figure ad buy includes AZ markets, features questions from mom of girl with 4 open heart surgeries
ARLINGTON, VA – Americans for Prosperity, the nation’s largest free-market grassroots organization, today released the third in a series of personal testimonials that raise important questions about the negative impact ObamaCare will have on healthcare choices. The new ad will run in markets across Arizona this week. It features Renay, the mom of a young girl, Caleigh, whose life has been saved by four open heart surgeries performed by physicians who have looked after her since she was born. Because the new health care legislation restricts the freedom of patients to keep their doctors, Renay worries that she and others will not have the same access to care in the future.
“This ad highlights more unanswered questions about ObamaCare, this time about a bedrock of our exceptional health care system: the simple ability to choose the best doctor for yourself and your loved ones,” explained Tom Jenney, director of the Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity. “ObamaCare threatens this crucial freedom, as insurers struggle to control costs by downsizing their provider networks. The legislation, simply put, will leave Americans wondering what happened to their health care options. Mothers like Renay want to choose the physicians who know the needs of their children, and can provide personal, quality care. People like her won't stay mum about the health care limitations they see coming down the pike, and I hope to keep highlighting their stories.”
Fact: ObamaCare will limit millions of Americans’ medical options, regardless of whether they currently have insurance or are enrolled in a government program.
Many health insurers are planning to decrease the network of health care providers available to their customers because of the law’s cost-increasing effects, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 7 million Americans with employee-sponsored health insurance will lose their coverage by 2022 because of ObamaCare’s high costs, leaving them with less choice of health care providers.
The medical journal Health Affairs states that one-third of doctors are expected to not accept new Medicaid patients in states that choose to expand the program under the law.
According to the Doctor Patient Medical Association Foundation, 83 percent of doctors are considering quitting the medical practice, largely because of government interventions like ObamaCare.
The Wall Street Journal reports that many of the plans available on the new health care exchanges will include relatively few choices of doctors and hospitals.
17 percent of doctors foresee closing their private practice in the next year because of financial strains on the medical industry, according to a report on CNN.
These and other facts about the negative impacts of the new health care law are documented at ObamaCareRiskFactors.com.
“As ObamaCare enrollment approaches, evidence of how the law will negatively impact personal health care freedom and quality of care keeps piling up,” said Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips. “Americans for Prosperity will continue to highlight facts about the law, share stories of real Americans like Renay, and ask the tough questions that the White House doesn’t want to hear.”
The first ad featured the story of Julie, whose son required a high level of medical attention that may not be available once the health care law is fully implemented. The second ad is narrated by Dr. Mary Ellen Gallagher, a physician who worries that the red tape required by Obamacare will undermine freedom to look after her patients personal needs.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org
