Patients United Now

Tag line

"Patients and doctors should make health-care choices, not Washington bureaucrats."

Ad

In "Survivor," a Canadian woman says that if she had relied on government-run health care for her brain tumor, she would have died. That assertion is hard to verify. What's known is that her doctors in the U.S. removed a benign cyst that threatened her vision. Another claim in the ad—"Washington wants to bring Canadian-style health care to the U.S." —can be dismissed. None of the leading proposals under consideration calls for a single-payer system, the type in Canada.

Back story

Patients United Now is a project of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which advocates limited government and opposes tax increases. Its other projects have included a "Hot Air Tour" to dispute global warming. Pro-reform groups criticize it for "astroturfing"—creating the appearance of grassroots support through efforts funded by groups with agendas. "We are Americans just like you," says its Web site, but the mailing address is on Washington, D.C.'s M Street—ground zero for political lobbying.