Sheryl Gay Stolberg
WASHINGTON – A conservative advocacy group backed by the billionaire Koch brothers said Thursday it will spend $2.5 million on television advertisements targeting three vulnerable Democratic senators who supported President Obama’s health care law.
Americans for Prosperity, which last year spent more than $16 million on television ads attacking the law popularly called “Obamacare,” is running the ads against Senators Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, all Democrats who face tough re-election fights this year. They will air on cable and broadcast networks in the three states.
The announcement of the ad campaigns, coming a day into the new year as consumers around the country begin using coverage provided by the new health care law, is a reminder of the central role the law will play in the 2014 midterm elections.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the Senate, called the ads “desperate and misleading” and an example of how “corporate special interest groups” are trying to “elect even more Tea Party Republicans who will privatize Social Security and Medicare and push our country to the brink of economic defaults.”
The ads spotlight Mr. Obama’s promise that Americans could keep their health care if they liked it – which turned out not to be the case for many people whose plans did not meet minimum standards set by the law.
“We’re putting pressure on senators who repeated that lie and doubled down on Obamacare even as it became obvious the law was hurting millions of Americans,” Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, said in a statement.
In an interview, Mr. Phillips said the ads would be accompanied by grass-roots efforts including community meetings and social media campaigns. He said the ads were the beginning of an intense effort that would continue throughout 2014, when his group planned to tell “personal stories” of people adversely affected by the health law, either through premium increases, higher deductibles or reduced access to doctors.
How Much Will It Cost Me?
Subsidies you could be eligible for ...
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Your reduced monthly premium
offers additional state subsidies, so the amount you would pay could be lower.
Because the share of your income you would be paying is below a set cap, you will not be eligible for premium subsidies.
The maximum amount you would have to pay each year "out-of-pocket" for deductibles, copayments and services not covered by insurance can be no more than ...
Income
Your income is of the federal poverty level.
Because is expanding its Medicaid program to cover most people up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, you and your family will likely be eligible for Medicaid.
Because your income is between one to four times the federal poverty level, you will be eligible for subsidies to help you pay the premium, as long as you don’t qualify for Medicaid, Medicare or job-based coverage.
Because your income is less than 100 percent of the poverty level, you will not be eligible for premium subsidies.
is not expanding its Medicaid program, but you or some of your family members could still be eligible under your state’s rules.
Children younger than age 19 at this income level are likely to be eligible for Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage. To get the most accurate estimate for your family’s premium, do not include eligible children in your list of family members needing coverage.
Because your income is greater than 400 percent of the poverty level, you will not be eligible for premium subsidies.
Your Coverage
Prices shown are for the second-cheapest “silver”-level plan that would cover your entire family. Silver plans are expected to cover about 70 percent of health care costs and may cover more for lower income people who are eligible for cost sharing subsidies.
Tobacco
In most states, insurers can add a tobacco surcharge of up to 50 percent of your premium before the tax credit. If you get a subsidy, it cannot be applied to the surcharge.
Other Coverage Options
Under the exchanges, silver plans are expected to cover about 70 percent of health care costs. More comprehensive gold plans are expected to cover 80 percent, and bronze plans are expected to cover 60 percent. An even less comprehensive catastrophic plan is available for people under 30 and people who would have to spend more than 8 percent of their income on a bronze plan.
Notes
Cost estimates are based on an analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Kaiser Family Foundation of expected premiums in 2014. Actual premiums will vary by insurance company and by the degree of competition in the market.
Income is measured using modified adjusted gross income, which includes wages, salary, foreign income, interest, dividends, and Social Security, but not gifts, inheritance or survivors benefits.
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