Paul Ryan runs healthcare ad for Wis. congressional race

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is launching a TV spot on healthcare issues for his U.S. House bid.

Rep. Ryan is running for an eighth House term in Wisconsin and the vice presidency at the same time, as permitted by Wisconsin law.

On Tuesday, his congressional campaign released a new ad, "Patient Centered Solutions," in which Ryan lays out principles for reforming U.S. healthcare. 

The ad does not mention the President Obama's healthcare overhaul, the divisive law that Ryan and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney have vowed to repeal in office.

In the new ad, Ryan says his plan for healthcare is to "get insurance and government bureaucrats out of the way and force healthcare providers to compete for our business."

He adds: "That way, we can cut costs, improve quality, and make healthcare accessible for everyone."

Romney and Ryan have come under fire from groups that say the GOP ticket's healthcare policies would raise costs and the number of uninsured Americans, compared to the Affordable Care Act.

The Republican ticket argues that the law represents a "government takeover" of healthcare that will only make the system worse.

"Insurance companies and providers should show us their prices and practices so you can make decisions based on cost and quality," Ryan says in the new TV ad. "You should be in charge of your health, not government or insurance bureaucrats."

If Romney and Ryan lose their race for the White House, but Ryan beats Democratic challenger Rob Zerban in Wisconsin's 1st District, he can return to the House next year.

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) did the same after losing their presidential bids in 2008 and 2004, respectively.

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