The insurance industry shouldn't get between you and your doctor

Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care campaign – debuted a new TV ad in six key states today emphasizing the need for a public health insurance option in health care reform and asking nine specific Senators to support that choice: Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), and Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE). The ad names the Senators in each state who have not yet publicly signed on in support of a public health insurance option.

“Doctor” features Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, MD, MPH who was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and practices in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Arkoosh explains that private health insurance companies have been in control of decision making for too long. She says members of Congress should support giving everyone the choice of a public health insurance plan as part of real health care reform so doctors and patients are no longer at the mercy of private health insurance companies making decisions doctors and patients should be making together. Dr. Arkoosh is with the National Physicians Alliance, a Health Care for America Now member organization representing 20,000 physicians across specialties and throughout the United States.

“Health Care reform is happening now, and now is the time Congress should be supporting the key components of President Obama’s health care proposal, including giving everyone the choice of a public health insurance plan,” said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now. “As we see health care industry stakeholders volunteer to control costs in a system that covers everyone, it becomes even more urgent we create a new public health insurance option to drive true savings and innovation and guarantee quality and transparency.”

“Opponents of reform can try to scare the public with threats of rationing and denied care, but we as physicians see health insurance companies rationing and denying care in practice every day,” said Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, MD, MPH, National Physicians Alliance. “It’s time our patients had a real choice – a choice of a public health insurance plan.

The “Doctor” ad will run for a week starting today in Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Oregon, Arkansas, Indiana, and Delaware. All of the ads are available online at http://www.healthcareforamericanow.org/doctor.