Here’s an interesting catch this morning. The group, Americans For Stable Quality Care, which is a PhRMA-backed group along with AMA, Families USA, and the Federation of American Hospitals, is running ads like these below:

The ad itself pushes support of the White House health care plan, and the Baucus Senate Finance Committee bill by providing links to both the White House and the Senate Finance Committee.  It interestingly enough doesn’t mention H.R. 3200, the House health care bill. Could it be because that House bill contains a provision from Rep. Henry Waxman which would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices? The ad also does not mention a public option as one of the factors in lowering costs of health care premiums. 

The Americans For Stable Quality Care also incidentally tried to peddle their crap over at Dailykos, which was an ill-fated effort when people over there were quick to their game:

Your language will keep seniors and other Medicare Part D recipients in the doughnut hole for a longer period of time than they are now. 50% the cost of unaffordable drugs is still unaffordable for people on fixed incomes (which is the vast majority of Medicare recipients). People will still be choosing between their prescription medications and paying the rent or eating.

Byetta is over $5000 a month. How affordable is that to someone in the doughnut hole, even at 50%? Yet there are many diabetics who use it, and it’s really effective.

If you stand for genuine reform, come back to the table. $80 billion over ten years is chicken feed compared to your profits. A 50% reduction is little help in purchasing some of the more effective (and expensive) medications. Come back with something that will make a big difference to the little guys.

And they were directly questioned from me:

Why are you trying to kill the Waxman amendment to negotiate drug prices for Medicare by having Members in the House ask the committee chairmen to substitute language from the Baucus bill {which has the Medicare 50% discount] into the HR 3200 House health bill?

No answers so far. Just another hit and run by a group that thought they could pull the wool over our eyes in the progressive netroots.  And now they’re trying to pull the wools over the eyes of Americans watching their televisions at home.