Commercials focus on malpractice reform, health insurance

Two current television commercials in Washington’s U.S. Senate race.

The ad: “Beginning,” a 60-second TV commercial for Republican George Nethercutt, which pushes his support for a federal bill to reform medical malpractice and put a $250,000 limit on the amount a patient can receive for “pain and suffering” in a lawsuit against a doctor or hospital.

It features Nethercutt and interviews with physicians who say the reform is needed, who praise Nethercutt for his support and criticize Murray for opposing it.

Opponent’s reaction: The Patty Murray campaign contends the ad misrepresents her position on malpractice reform. She supports a bill that has ways to stop frivolous lawsuits, offers relief to doctors and hospitals, and gets rid of “negligent doctors,” while the bill Nethercutt supports only deals with malpractice caps. She also released her own ad, “Purchasing Power,” on changes for health care.

Campaign response: Nethercutt says the malpractice reform bill deserves a vote in the Senate, and it isn’t even getting that because of the threat of filibuster, which Murray won’t help block. The bill Murray supports, he adds, is primarily a Democratic plan that isn’t getting out of committee.

Analysis: Malpractice reform is one of the elements of health care reform, say experts, but it’s not “the beginning and the end,” and is more of a state issue than a federal one. The ad also goes overboard with the claim by a doctor that Murray is “in the pocket of the trial lawyers;” if that’s true, Nethercutt could be said to be in the pocket of doctors pushing malpractice reform – many of the specialties funding a 30-minute commercial against Murray also gave money to him.

The ad: “Purchasing Power,” a 30-second TV commercial for Democrat Patty Murray, features the incumbent offering support for “buying pools” as a way to cut the cost of insurance for people and small businesses that don’t have the advantages of larger organizations in shopping for insurance.

Opponent’s reaction: Republican George Nethercutt’s campaign says Murray is switching her position, because just two weeks ago she sharply criticized his support for Association Health Plans, or AHPs – proposed buying pools for medical insurance that passed the House but can’t get a vote in the Senate. Murray does not support that bill.

Campaign response: The Murray campaign says there’s no switch. She supports some kinds of buying pools, but opposes AHPs because that legislation would allow them to bypass stricter state rules for pools in Washington state.

Analysis: AHPs are one form of buying pool, so it is possible to be in favor of the concept and against that specific system. But they are the main federal health insurance pool currently in Congress, health care analysts note. The ad doesn’t represent a shift in position, but it doesn’t really address a specific federal proposal that Murray could support.