Statement: Cause of Action on Proposed Advertising Campaign for Affordable Care Act

Yesterday, Senator Rubio asked HHS Secretary Sebelius to cancel $8.7 million in planned advertisement buys made through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to promote the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act using taxpayer dollars. Dan Epstein, executive director of Cause of Action, offered this response to the possible misuse of federal dollars through efforts to promote the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: "HHS must take seriously the concerns that have arisen about use of taxpayer money for advertising campaigns promoting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We are already troubled by the fact that HHS has spent nearly $60 million in taxpayer funds to contract with huge PR companies to promote the implementation of the new law, while Secretary Sebelius has simultaneously asked executives from pharmaceutical and insurance companies to support Enroll America, an organization that has spent 'at least seven figures' on paid advertising.  Cause of Action's warning about the high risk of misuse of taxpayer dollars has recently been expressed through letters to state health exchanges and we will continue to monitor any wasteful spending or abuse of federal funds as the law goes into effect."

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