Harry and Louise are back in health reform ads -- but this time they're for it

Washington -- Two former foes of health system reform -- at least as they played it on TV -- have re-emerged to call on members of Congress to adopt a national bill.

The fictitious middle-class couple Harry and Louise are appearing in a new, multimillion-dollar television advertising campaign sponsored by consumer advocates Families USA and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The pair express worry about the problems of the uninsured, coverage exclusions and portability of health insurance.

"A little more cooperation, a little less politics, and we can get the job done this time," Louise tells her partner in the new ad.

Harry and Louise first appeared on TV to voice opposition to the health reform championed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton and then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. The original ads, which were sponsored by the Health Insurance Assn. of America, were credited with convincing many people that the Clinton plan would amount to a takeover of the health care system by a massive government bureaucracy.

This is not the first time since then that the couple have made an appearance. Families USA joined with several other organizations in 2008 to run a Harry and Louise ad during the Democratic and Republican national conventions calling for action on health reform. They also appeared in an earlier ad promoting therapeutic cloning for stem cell research.

In a sign of the extent to which the fictitious couple have become a part of the nation's cultural landscape, Harry Johnson and Louise Clark -- the actors who play the couple -- appeared with senators and other policy makers at a July 16 Capitol Hill event to rally for health reform.

The latest ad began running the weekend of July 18-19 during cable and network news programs and will continue for three weeks. The ad can also be viewed online (link).