Women Speak Out Against Government Takeover of Health Care

Ad campaign and outreach efforts begin today

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- 300,000 American women with breast cancer
might have died over the last decade, if the US had adopted a British-style,
government-run health care system. This shocking figure, from recent studies
by the Lewin Group and Lancet Oncology, appears in a TV ad launched today by
The Independent Women's Forum, a non-profit organization focused on issues of
concern for women. The 60-second spot highlights the deadly risks to women
under the "public option" - or co-op - plan currently under consideration in
Congress.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090818/PH63156LOGO )

"My odds of surviving cancer were high, because my care was the best," says
Tracy, a 44 year-old breast cancer survivor featured in the ad, which airs
over the next week on cable and broadcast stations and is currently featured
on You Tube. "What are your odds if the government takes over your care?"
she asks. The IWF is featuring stories similar to Tracy's on its website,
and is inviting people to share their own experiences about how they and their
families have benefitted from the ability to make their own health care
choices.

"Shifting the decision-making authority from the American citizen to
government bureaucrats is an offense to who we are as Americans," remarks
Heather Richardson Higgins, Chairman of The Independent Women's Forum.
"Nothing could be more central to the pursuit of happiness than the ability to
control one's own health and health options of loved ones."

Though support for the so-called "public option" has diminished in the face of
fierce and widespread public opposition, the basic idea survives with a new
name: co-op. In July, Senator Harry Reid said, "We're going to have some type
of public option, call it 'co-op,' call it what you want." In addition,
House Speaker Nancy Peolsi released a statement on August 17, declaring "There
is strong support in the House for a public option. In the House, all three
of our bills contain a public option."

In an August 2008 report, Lancet Oncology found the 5-year survival rate for
breast cancer patients is much higher in the United States than in England,
where the government controls care - 83.9% vs. 69.8%. Applying the difference
in survival rates to the 250 million breast cancer survivors in the United
States, the Lewin Group study derives that as many as 300,000 more American
women might have died had they received health care under a
government-controlled system like England's.

"These are numbers we simply cannot afford, no matter what the supposed
'savings' of a public plan or co-op," Higgins states.

Founded in 1992, The Independent Women's Forum is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
research and educational institution focused on issues of concern to women,
men and families. More information at www.iwf.org. For interviews,
background and additional materials, contact Carol Eberly at (202) 349-5882
carol.eberly@iwf.org, or Jerry Cobb at (602) 478-0002
jerrycobb@actual-media.com.

SOURCE The Independent Women's Forum

Carol Eberly, +1-202-349-5882, carol.eberly@iwf.org