Fact-checking the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ad on Bill Nelson

An ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims seniors could lose coverage thanks to “Obamacare.” It pins the blame on Florida Sen. Bill Nelson.

Nelson’s office is disputing the ad’s accuracy and has asked TV stations to pull the ad.

The ad intercuts its own commentary with video footage of Nelson speaking on the Senate floor.

U.S. Chamber: “Obamacare will be a nightmare for Florida seniors. Did Bill Nelson consider the consequences when he cast a deciding vote for Obamacare?”

Nelson: “This legislation is gonna let folks that are happy with their insurance keep it …”

U.S. Chamber: “Wrong. 20 million people could lose their current coverage.”

Nelson: “… including our senior citizens who are on Medicare.”

U.S. Chamber: “But Senator, seniors will see $500 billion in Medicare cuts to fund Obamacare. Call Bill Nelson. Tell him to support the repeal of Obamacare.”

We looked into two statements from the ad.

We fact-checked whether “seniors will see $500 billion in Medicare cuts to fund Obamacare,” a claim we’ve seen many times. In this context, we rated the statement Mostly False.

We also fact-checked whether “20 million people could lose their current coverage.” The ad strongly suggests these people would be seniors. We rated this claim Pants on Fire.