The Warm and Fuzzy Side of Obama's Health Plan

A strange brew of health industry, labor and consumer groups air a new commercial today to fight negative publicity around President Obama's health plan.

Americans for Stable Quality Health Care is spending $12 million on a new ad campaign for August, including TV commercials. The group includes the American Medical Association, consumer group FamiliesUSA, the Federation of American Hospitals, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and Service Employees International Union.

The pharmaceutical group, the drug industry's biggest lobbying organization known as PhRMA, spent a "significant" portion of the money for the new campaign, says Ken Johnson, senior vice president.

The first 30-second television spot is warm and fuzzy and intended to blunt the harsh images of people shouting down congressmen at town hall meetings and a barrage of attacks from conservatives. If Obama's health reform plan is going to succeed, he's going to need to turn around public opinion.

Johnson says the attacks are hurting the cause for reform. "I don't think there's any question they're having an impact," he says.

The drug industry pledged its support as part of a deal with the White House in which the president agrees not to extract more concessions from pharmaceutical companies as part of health care reform. Through PhRMA, drug makers pledged to cut $80 billion over 10 years to reduce costs of Medicare, the government's health insurance plan for the elderly.

PhRMA agreed to spend up to $150 million in total to support Obama's health plan. No other group has committed so much money to a publicity effort.