Kaiser Health News has begun a series of articles analyzing health care reform advertisements sponsored by various organizations.  This series can be very helpful in helping the public interpret the ads, understand the validity of claims etc. and gainign a better understanding of how impending health care reform might affect them.

Kaiser Health News, is an unbiased affiliate of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy-research organization that isn’t affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

The first advertisement that was analyzed is one called “Health Reform Testimonials” and sponsored by Families USA in conjunction with Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

These ads are spawned from an unusual collaboration between a prominent liberal group and the prescription drug industry.  The Ads use heartrending vignettes of “real people” to press for affordable health insurance that is comprehensive in coverage. Yet some of the people profiled in the ads would likely not receive much relief under the main proposals that are pending in Congress.

For PhRMA, the ads are good public relations and good business for an industry with an image problem.

For Families USA, a relationship with the deep-pocketed PhRMA — one of the most powerful trade groups in Washington — gives the overhaul message extra reach.