Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson went on air with a new TV ad in the 11th District this week, which highlights Republican Marty Ozinga's comments about health care on a public access program in July.  As Progress Illinois first noted, Ozinga said: "There are very few people nowadays that have no health service at all. Almost anybody -- I don't care who you are -- you go to the hospital and you get taken care of."  In the ad, Halvorson responds, "There are 47 million people without insurance.  I mean, how out of touch can you be?" Watch it:

Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has highlighted these comments in their own TV advertising.

Ozinga's controversial health care remarks are also at the heart of the dispute over the 11th District debate scheduled for today.  The Southland Chamber of Commerce organized the event and chose Southtown Star columnist Kristen McQueary to moderate.  In part because of a column she wrote criticizing him for the above comments, Ozinga's campaign objected to the choice, dubbing McQueary an "opinion columnist" and likening her to MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.  He subsequently withdrew from the debate.  Halvorson said yesterday that she still planned to attend.