Ryan Nicol
A new ad by liberal advocacy group “Floridians for a Fair Shake” has taken aim at Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast and his vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The ad, titled “Richest,” focuses on the effect the repeal would have had on older Americans, allowing them to be charged up to five times more for health insurance than other age brackets.
Obamacare set a 3:1 limit on the amount Americans over 50 could be charged. The ad also highlights money Mast has taken from insurance and pharmaceutical companies, implying Mast helped them profit by pushing for higher health care costs with his repeal vote.
That vote was ultimately all-for-naught, as the bill to fully repeal Obamacare ultimately failed in the Senate. President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress have sought to undo the ACA in other ways, including repealing the individual mandate in the GOP tax bill passed late last year. But many of the law’s provisions remain intact.
That won’t stop Democrats and liberal groups from targeting Republicans for their vote in the run-up to the midterm elections.
“Congressman Mast talks a good game on health care, but his voting record belies his words,” said Bill Sauers, an advisory committee member of Floridians for a Fair Shake. “We’re exposing his real record — that he’s collecting obscene amounts of cash from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and in exchange, they get to gouge aging Floridians.”
Sauers also serves as president of Florida Alliance for Retired Americans.
Mast is an army veteran who is finishing up his first term in Congress representing Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He is facing two challengers in the Republican primary, Dave Cummings and Mark Freeman. On the Democratic side, Lauren Baer and Pam Keith have filed to compete for Mast’s CD 18 seat.
Floridians for a Fair Shake describes its mission as advocating “for an economy that works for everyone and ensuring access to affordable health care for all.” The anti-Mast ad is set to begin its run today in the West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce market, as well as online.
