Health advocacy group targets Biden-district House Republicans with new ad campaign

A Democratic-aligned health advocacy group is launching a series of digital ads in key Republican districts, highlighting how lawmakers there opposed the Biden administration’s efforts to lower drug prices and health costs. 

The $1 million campaign from Protect Our Care, shared first with The Hill, launches Wednesday and is targeting House Republicans representing districts won by President Biden in 2020: Reps. David Schweikert (Ariz.), David Valadao (Calif.), Mike Garcia (Calif.), and Mike Lawler (N.Y.).  

The ads will also be seen in the district of GOP Rep. Brett Guthrie (Ky.), who is chairman of the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee.  

Each of the members in the ads opposed or spoke out against the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which among other provisions capped the price of insulin at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries and gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. 

The digital campaign will reach people through over-the-top/streaming media, including, YouTube, Hulu, Meta and more. The group is pairing the ads with on-the-ground events and organizing to make sure people in these communities know about these reforms. 

The IRA was one of the most significant reforms of the drug marketplace in decades and figures prominently in the Biden campaign’s efforts to message about lowering health costs.

Still, the final prices from Medicare negotiations won’t kick in until 2026, and polls show the public is mostly unaware of what the administration has done. 

“We are continuing to spotlight the benefits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act and to educate Americans about where their members of Congress stand on these issues,” Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach said in a statement. “It is unfathomable that Republican lawmakers stood with big drug companies and voted against lower drug prices.”