Harry and Louise TV ads aren't kvetching

Back in 1994, fictional couple Harry and Louise helped put a damper on the public’s view of President Clinton’s plan for universal health coverage in a series of TV ads. Now they’ve returned, asking the presidential contenders to make healthcare their top domestic priority.

“It’s nice to see that this time around, Harry and Louise aren’t sitting around the table kvetching about someone else’s health coverage plan,” says Clive Riddle, president and founder of Modesto, Calif.-based MCOL, a provider of business-to-business health management and managed care resources. “Instead they have joined the conversation on helping put advance on a consensus and proposal, and keep healthcare at the forefront of this political season.”

The ads were aired in a multimillion-dollar national advertising campaign to run through the Democratic and Republican national conventions.

“It’s also a major step that groups with historically different agendas, such as Families USA, AHA and AHIP, are making an effort to come together on this,” Riddle observes.