Stars Push Health Care Agenda

A national coalition devoted to fighting chronic disease announced on Friday a $1.1 million television and online advertising campaign aimed at encouraging women to learn where candidates stand on health care.

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease ads feature Mary-Louise Parker, Lauren Bacall, Katey Sagal and Phylicia Rashad and urge women to ask candidates where they stand on health care and preventing chronic diseases. The ads will start airing Monday and will run through the election on national cable news networks.

"Through the ad, we hope to garner renewed support among all policymakers for serious health care reform,” said the partnership’s executive director, Ken Thorpe. “We are calling on leaders from both sides of the aisle to start a discussion around a point of consensus: the need to fight chronic illnesses that are bankrupting individuals and our country, and making us sick and less productive."