Health Insurer-Backed Group Urges Republicans To Repeal Health Reform

The conservative think tank American Action Network (AAN), a lobbying group partly funded by insurance companies, is pushing for repeal of the Affordable Care Act. And to back up that effort, the group today announced a $1.2 million advertising campaign that urges Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. AAN will have a full force push for repeal in the coming weeks, with insurance companies footing the bill:

The national initiative includes direct mail, print advertising and robocalls, as well as web videos targeted at “select liberal members.”

“The Supreme Court has upheld Obamacare,” reads the mailer. “Congress has only one option: Repeal the President’s government takeover of your healthcare. In addition to billions in new taxes, Obamacare also includes over $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. If the Obama government takeover of healthcare is not repealed, seniors across America will suffer.” [...]

AAN is planning to spend at least $10 million during the 2012 election cycle in districts where there are “competitive House races but state parties with little ability to provide a lift,” Politico reported on Sunday. The group already has organizers on the ground in specific districts, and it plans to build out “a broader, issues-specific grassroots network with endurance.”

The ad blitz is the latest in a trend of insurers, like Aetna, who seem to be hedging their bets on either side of the repeal debate.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce experienced a similar divide during the run-up to the health care vote: The largest insurer lobbying group in the country, America’s Health Insurance Plans, gave $102.4 million in just 15 months to prevent the law from passing.

But AAN isn’t known for successful advertising — just two years ago, the group was forced to pull two ads after they were found to be false or misleading. One ad claimed that the ACA would allow rapists access to Viagra.