Pols vow to fight for health care

WASHINGTON — An increasingly intense battle over health care legislation in Congress will now shift to states across the country as lawmakers begin returning home for a month-long recess and outside groups prepare to flood the airwaves.

With polls suggesting that public support is sagging for President Obama's push to overhaul health care, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the party will use the August break to make a strong sales pitch to middle-class voters.

"We're going to be on the air. We're going to be in the neighborhoods," said Hoyer, D-Md. "Our members are going to now have the opportunity to go home ... and say to their constituents, 'Look, this is what we're doing. This is why it's good for you and your family.' "

House members will return to their states after missing a self-imposed deadline this week to vote on health care after fiscally conservative Democrats demanded that their party leaders slow the process down and trim the cost of the House bill by $100 billion. The Senate's break begins Aug. 7.

A House Democratic memo obtained by USA TODAY shows the steps the party is taking to coordinate its message over the break. Lawmakers are encouraged to hold town-hall-style meetings, post videos on the Internet and find small-business owners "whose testimony can provide a powerful narrative," the memo states.

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Republicans, who have criticized the Democratic proposals as a costly government takeover of health care, said they will also be busy talking to constituents.

"It's safe to say that, over the August recess, as more Americans learn more about their plan, they're likely to have a very, very hot summer," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

A Gallup Poll conducted July 24-25 found that only 26% of Americans believe a new health care law would improve their care even as Obama has increased efforts to convince voters the proposal would reduce long-term costs and prohibit insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Outside groups, meanwhile, vowed to turn up the volume with television advertisements that have already dominated the airwaves in some states.

Jacki Schechner, a spokeswoman with Health Care for America Now, said the group will focus on the fiscally conservative Democrats it believes are weakening the bill.

A group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights, which has opposed the legislation taking shape in Congress, budgeted $1 million to push its message in the first weeks of August, spokesman Brian Burgess said.

"I think you're probably going to start seeing a lot more pointed rhetoric," said Evan Tracey of Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising. "There will be a healthy clip (of spending) through August."