CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Several groups are running television advertisements this week urging U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan to vote in favor of the comprehensive health-care legislation before Congress.

Congress could vote on the legislation this weekend or early next week.

West Virginia Health Care for America Now joined with Catholics United and Service Employees International Union Local 1199 to begin airing the ads Tuesday. They will continue through this weekend on television stations in Wheeling, Parkersburg, Clarksburg, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

"We are encouraging Mollohan to continue his support for West Virginia's citizens by enacting health reform that is so needed here in West Virginia and across the country," said Gary Zuckett, executive director of West Virginia-Citizen Action Group, who is working with the group Health Care for America Now.

"This health-care bill is not perfect, but it is a giant step forward. We will have to come back and keep improving it," Zuckett said. "It curbs a lot of insurance industry abuses and provides affordable health care for people."

The coalition's new TV ads criticize health insurance companies for increasing premiums and hurting small businesses and working families.

"Right here in West Virginia, we've seen our insurance rates go up four times faster than wages," the ad states. "Remember, if the insurance companies win, we lose. Tell Congressman Alan Mollohan to keep standing up for us, not the insurance companies."

"As health insurance executives continue to raise rates, hard-working Americans are suffering at the hands of a broken health-care system," said Father Michael Steltenkamp, a religious studies professor at Wheeling Jesuit University and a member of Catholics United.

"The bill before Congress will help families by lowering premiums and expanding coverage for all West Virginians," he said. "Health-care reform is the right thing to do."

Earlier this month, the League of American Voters began running television advertisements criticizing 30 members of Congress -- including Mollohan and Rep. Nick Rahall, both D.W.Va. -- for supporting the "Obama health-care takeover."

Martinsburg resident Bob Adams, the group's director, said the organization has raised more than $5 million since early August and is spending about $45,000 a week buying ads focusing on Mollohan and Rahall.

Adams said the League of American Voters will not release the names of its financial supporters.

"Groups like mine are smeared as being front groups for the insurance industry and doctors, but I have over 50,000 individual members," Adams said. "They give $5, $10 or $20 to support our organization."

Adams said his nonprofit group, founded in late July, has not yet filed any Internal Revenue Service 990 forms.

This week, the coalition led by Health Care for America Now is spending $1.7 million on TV advertisements in 11 different congressional districts to counter League of American Voters ads.

According to its Web site, Health Care for America Now is backed by a number of unions and groups, including: the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the Service Employees International Union; the Communication Workers of America; the Campaign For America's Future; Planned Parenthood; and the NAACP.

HCAN has received funding from several foundations, including: $10 million from The Atlantic Philanthropies and $2 million from the California Endowment.

The Atlantic Philanthropies was created in 1982 by U.S. businessman Charles F. Feeney to support health and social-welfare projects in Australia, Bermuda, Ireland, South Africa, Vietnam and the United States. The group, with offices in New York City and Washington, D.C., has donated about $4 billion to charitable groups in those countries, according to its Web site.

The California Endowment, based in Los Angeles, states that its purpose is to "expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities."

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.