Health-reform ads air in US

The battle over the future of healthcare in the United States moved to the airwaves as Americans got their first glimpse of advertisements in support of President Barack Obama's vision of change.

Even as the 30-second spots, featuring citizens bewailing a system that has let them down, began airing, Obama was in his bully pulpit giving interviews and holding press meetings. The aim was to push members of Congress to accelerate a plan to guarantee health insurance for everyone.

But the road still seems long. Only last weekend, members of Congress, including several key Democrats, warned that an August deadline for passing versions of a new healthcare bill was almost certain to be missed, potentially dooming the whole effort.

However, there was some good news for the President when a key Senate committee settled on a final proposal for legislation. The plan suggests creating a public insurance plan that consumers can opt for in preference to private policies.

The TV ads offer stories from five Americans whose lives have been turned upside down by illness and the problems they faced getting care. It was to be shown in Washington DC and several states, such as Florida, Indiana and Maine, which have members of Congress who could be critical in helping passage of the reform.

When Bill and Hillary Clinton proposed reform in 1993, they were thwarted in part because of the infamous "Harry and Louise" advertisements financed by industry lobbyists opposed to reform. They featured two actors speculating about the horror of Government-run healthcare.

This time, the White House has no intention of leaving the airwaves to its opponents. It will certainly have to share them. Already on YouTube is a clip from Conservatives for Patients' Rights which opposes reform.

Obama's reform will leave a system that still relies primarily on a hodge-podge of private insurance plans coupled with new subsidies to consumers to help them pay for policies.

- INDEPENDENT