July 31, 2010
Andy Griffith Supports New Health Care Law
Actor Andy Griffith is helping get the word out to seniors about President Barack Obama's health care law in a new TV ad.
Paid for by Medicare, the ad shows the 84-year-old TV star talking about how "good things are coming" under the health care overhaul, including free preventive checkups and lower-cost prescriptions for Medicare recipients. Watch it!
It has been created in hopes to educate skeptical seniors about the benefits, since there will be cuts to Medicare in order to fund the new law, and will be playing on channels such as CNN, the Weather Channel, Hallmark and others that have an older demographic.
Typically, the TV spot has sparked debate from some politicians. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told The Associated Press: "It's going to take more than slick taxpayer-funded ads to convince skeptical seniors that cutting a half-trillion dollars from Medicare is good for them."
But presidential adviser Stephanie Cutter countered, writing on the White House blog that seniors have been the "target of a misinformation campaign" and that the ads will point out how the law helps Medicare by reducing wasteful spending.
