Business foes of health care reform outspend supporters 2-to-1 — MedCity Morning Read, Nov. 17, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Business foes of health care reform legislation are outspending supporters at a rate of 2-to-1 for television advertisements as they get nervous about a final bill, according to the Associated Press.

Led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, opponents of the Democratic health care overhaul spent $24 million on TV commercials over the past month to $12 million spent by labor unions and other backers, the AP reported in a Philadelphia Inquirer story. That’s a reversal from the vast spending advantage supporters enjoyed most of this year, according to Evan Tracey, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political ads.

More than half of the opposition spending has been by the chamber, the AP said. With the House narrowly approving its health overhaul on Nov. 7 and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, drafting his measure behind closed doors, the outpouring of cash underscores how crunch time has arrived for business and other groups trying to shape or scuttle the legislation.

“There’s no input from any of us, no input from Republicans” as Reid puts the bill together, said R. Bruce Josten, the chamber’s top lobbyist. “So what option do we have than to take our message and story to the American people?”

At the same time, the chamber has circulated an e-mail to business groups asking them to support a $50,000 study by a “respected economist” of the proposed health care overhaul. The study would be used for a letter, ads and other lobbying efforts to argue that the bill “will kill jobs and hurt the economy,” according to the e-mail.

More stories worth a read:

• White House health care accord with drug industry may be going sour (Los Angeles Times)
• Associated Press poll: Tax the rich to pay for health bill (Associated Press/Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Hospital’s employees’ health plan in limbo (My Health Insurance America blog)
• Cuyahoga County might suspend payments to medical mart developer if site negotiations lag (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Before medical mart proceeds on Mall C, answers are needed to some key questions: Steve Litt (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Datatrak International reports smaller third-quarter loss (Crain’s Cleveland Business)
• FDA approves Xanodyne drug (Cincinnati Enquirer)
• Ohio colleges lure students from overseas (Columbus Dispatch)
• Adeona Pharmaceuticals announces third quarter 2009 results and achievements (Earth Times)
• Stabenow: Michigan will benefit from health care reform (Detroit News)
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center posts strong first quarter (FierceHealthFinance)
• Thomson Reuters announces top 100 hospitals for cardiovascular care (Becker’s Hospital Review)
• Medical device prices in crosshairs of reform (Medical Device Guru blog)