This article is from the archive of our partner .
With time running out for the Super Committee to agree on a deficit-reduction plan, Capitol Hill dailies are fat with ad pages meant to influence lawmakers. As National Journal's Fawn Johnson wrote last week [subscription], "A quick skim through any of the 'inside-Washington' print papers—Roll Call, Politico, The Hill, Congressional Quarterly, and National Journal Daily—shows an unprecedented number of ads aimed directly at lawmakers and staffers." With as much as $3 trillion worth of spending cuts and new taxes on the line, many companies's bottom lines are at stake. Here's a survey of their pitches for favorable treatment from the Super Committee:
Health care You can bet the AARP is on high-alert, given that even Democrats are proposing to slash some $400 billion in Medicare with savings in Social Security as well. An ad in the October 12 edition of Congressional Quarterly reminds legislators, "We are not a line item in a budget. We are America's seniors." They're invited to visit AARP's website to "see how AARP members are fighting to protect their Medicare and Social Security benefits."
Another item the Super Committee is reportedly considering is medical imaging reimbursements for Medicare. Alerting readers, the American College of Radiology wrote in August that "the 12-member super committee undoubtedly will consider changes in Medicare physician reimbursement rates to cut costs ... cuts to imaging will likely be part of a larger package of physician reimbursement reductions." And what do we have here? The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance pulling out an ad with scary disease talk.