Louisiana senators faced with health-care choice

Now that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a health-care reform plan, Louisiana’s two senators find themselves on the hot seat as the legislation moves to the upper chamber. It’s a debate you can expect to hear more of—almost immediately. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, says he will bring the legislation to the floor this week. Additionally, beginning today, the Employment Policies Institute, a D.C.-based nonprofit research group that leans Democrat, will be airing advertisements in the Baton Rouge area. It’s known as a “high-saturation campaign,” meaning there’s a good chance that you won’t miss the media buy, which totals $10 million for six states—Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska and North Dakota. The ad features June O’Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, who says in the spot, “They will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the already $12 trillion national debt. We are paying $500 million a day in interest alone. This growing debt is unsustainable.” For the full version of this story, click here.—Jeremy Alford