GAO may review legality of latest Medicare ads

The General Accounting Office will decide in the next two days whether to investigate HHS-financed advertisements promoting the Medicare prescription drug law to seniors, a GAO spokesman said. Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) requested the investigation, arguing that the ads "are designed to boost the Bush re-election effort" and that a legal inquiry is warranted. "This is a very cut-and-dried, by-the-book, cut-and-paste public service ad," HHS spokesman Bill Pierce said. "It's unfortunate that people who voted against the law are now trying to undermine our efforts to educate seniors." The Medicare ads will cost about $22.7 million, including production costs and television, radio and print fees, Pierce said. -- by Jeff Tieman