April 26, 2002
Legislative Activity
Date: April 26, 2002
To: >AAF Members
From: Clark Rector- VP State Government Affairs
Jennifer Akridge, Coordinator-Government Affairs
Re: Advertising Threat in Congress
The Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives has set a goal of "marking-up" legislation to provide a prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries before Memorial Day. We need you to write to your Member of Congress today and urge them not to place restrictions on advertising for prescription drugs.
The Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA), has told The New York Times that he would like to make it more expensive for consumers to purchase only those prescription drugs that had been advertised, as if the problem is simply the fact that they are advertised and this increases demand for the advertised drugs.
This ignores the many other factors that contribute to increased prescription drug consumption — our rapidly aging population, a sharp change by the medical profession away from recommending surgery and other procedures in favor of using newly developed pharmaceuticals, and new directives from the federal government recommending that millions more Americans take some form of medication to reduce the risk of heart disease. These are but a few of the major factors that contribute far more than advertising to rises in prescription drug use.
Your Member of Congress sits on the Ways and Means Committee. A list of member contact information for each ad club is attached. It is urgent that you call, e-mail or write and urge him or her to oppose any effort to discriminate against advertising. There is nothing in federal law that penalizes consumers by making them pay more for advertised products, and we should not start with prescription drugs.
Click here for two sample letters and an issue brief for your use:
Sample Letter A
Sample Letter B
Issue Brief
Please call or write today! See list of contact information below. If you write you must fax or e-mail your letter because of new mail regulations, and please send a copy to us here at AAF headquarters.
Do not hesitate to call me at 1-800-999-2231 if you have any comments or questions. Thank you for your help with this important advertising issue.
Contact Information
** Indicates this member serves the suburbs, not the city of your ad club.
# Indicates this member serves only a part of your city and/or part of suburbs.
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Ad Club of Los Angeles # Ad Association of Baltimore Ad Fed of Columbus, GA Pittsburgh Ad Club Chicago Ad Fed** Austin Ad Fed Seattle Ad Fed** Erie Ad Club Ad Fed of the Greater Palm Beaches # Ad Club of New Orleans # Atlanta Ad Club |
Sacramento Ad Club Shreveport-Bossier Ad Fed Advertisers of Dubuque Seattle Ad Fed Ad Club (Albany, NY) Ad Fed of Bismarck-Mandan Ad Club of Cincinnati** ACNY# Ad Fed of Greater Ft. Lauderdale # West Tennessee Ad Fed Jacksonville Marketing and Advertising Club |