60 Plus: Don't pay for health care reform on the backs of our seniors.

Information on 60Plus: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=60_Plus_Association

The 60 Plus Association has championed the pharmaceutical industry in mass mailings, press releases, lobbying and law suits since its inception. It was one of three associations that backed the "astroturf" issue ads of Citizens for Better Medicare (a drug industry front group) during the 2000 elections.

Around the same time, 60 Plus fought state legislation dealing with prescription drugs. The group fought "such legislation in Minnesota and New Mexico," with assistance from the Bonner & Associates firm, which specializes in astroturf lobbying. "The firm's paid callers, reading from scripts that identified them as representatives of 60 Plus, urged residents to ask their governors to veto the legislation.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. later said it had paid Bonner & Associates to make the calls," reported AARP. [3]

"In its 2001 fiscal year, 60 Plus got a total of $275,000 from PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America), CBM (Citizens for Better Medicare) and three drug companies (Merck, Pfizer and Wyeth-Ayerst) plus another $300,000 from Hanwha International Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of a Korean conglomerate with chemical and pharmaceutical interests -- amounts that made up about 29 percent of its revenue," reported AARP. [3]

60 Plus supported a lawsuit by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America against the state of Maine (in a "friend of the court" brief) for daring to try to pass a law that will authentically reduce prices for Medicare drugs by allowing the state to buy in bulk directly from manufacturers. It has also joined a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission regarding campaign reform (specifically in support of soft money for issue ads).

In the 2002 election campaigns, 60 Plus paid for issue ads on local radio and TV stations across the country saying that local Republican candidates "care for seniors" so much that they "passed a prescription drug bill" that "saved us from an inept government bureaucracy meddling with health plan benefits."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Political
• ad
• healtcare
• reform
• insurance
• seniors
• factcheck

[ReuWil]

You've showcased where they are getting their funding, good for you. That doesn't mean what is said in this ad is either true or untrue - and that's the main issue.

[HealthCareAds]

Working on it. They make so many claims it takes a while to compile the information.

[lanway13]

What a bunch of bullshit.

[Falator]

Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather trust the person we overwhelming voted in to office over the people fleecing America. The private sector had their chance to fix it by themselves and they just took advantage of the lack of regulation, now it is time to try a different solution.

[joenjensen]

@BizarreChild That could be why France is one f the countries that is going broke. Some of the other liberal countries gave retirement to people so young workers they are also going broke. There is something to be said about going to far, isn't there?

[barbtube01]

Thanks for the info.......I noticed this too.

[kreomnp]

This is a scam. Steve Forbes and Dick Armey are the creators of FreedomWorks, and are LOBBYING against health care reform using FAKE grassroots websites to fool people into doing things that are against their own interests. Don't believe me...Google it! I did.

[domevets]

Bottom line: What gives the government any authority in the constitution to be involved in health care? Read the 10th amendment. However, I doubt many of the people who have been posting these inane comments have any idea what is in the constitution.

[rawdawg15]

What a bunch of scumbags

[jimforcy]

Its that same voice every time. What a douche.

[munchyman]

Honestly though, the older generations throughout human history have always preyed on the sweat and blood of the young. Society shouldn't mortgage the young to pay for the greed and cynicism of the old.