The drug industry, through the Pharmaceuticals Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is bringing Harry & Louise back:
Harry and Louise, the iconic middle class couple that helped to defeat the Clinton health care reform proposal, will be back on television – this time in support of health care reform.
Harry and Louise will be featured in a multi-million dollar television ad campaign, which will start this weekend and run for at least three weeks.
The ad will appear on national cable and network news programs as well as the Sunday talk shows. The ad campaign is the product of a collaboration between Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents America’s leading brand-name pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
“The participation of Harry and Louise in this ad campaign clearly symbolizes how different the health reform debate is this year compared to the past,” said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. “With health coverage increasingly unaffordable, health reform is not a luxury, but an absolute necessity, for America’s families.”
This announcement echoes the “change is in the air” notion that “this time around things are different” compared to the HillaryCare battles in 1993.
But in 1993, Harry & Louise were representing the smaller insurers against the big HMOs, who supported the “reform,” just as the big HMOs — and Big Pharma — do today.
PhRMA lobbying for federal subsidies for people to buy prescription drugs is not extraordinary, nor is it a change, but keep an eye out for more “in an interesting twist” pieces about this new campaign.
