DES MOINES - AARP officials unveiled a national ad blitz Monday to counter what the organization says are attempts to scare and confuse seniors by opponents of health care reform.

They say they want to counter "false assertions" that health care changes would include a government takeover, rationed care or euthanasia.

The campaign, which includes ads on TV, radio and in print, seeks to dispel what they say are myths about health care reform.

Bruce Koeppl, AARP's Iowa senior state director, said they want to counter claims that reforms would lead to rationing or would put government in charge of whether older Americans with medical problems get to live or die.

"They are, frankly, lies. They are not true," Koeppl said.

Koeppl said the organization will be attending town hall meetings held by members of Congress and host their own town hall meeting.

Koeppl said the disruptions caused by health care reform opponents at town hall meetings across the country, including one sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin over the weekend in Des Moines, have been "unfortunate."

"There are groups of people that are motivated by a political agenda, but there are also people that are sincere about what their concerns are, and those people frankly, are not getting a chance to ask those questions and hear the answers from members of Congress because of the disruptions," Koeppl said.

State Sen. Ron Wieck, R-Sioux City, is one of the skeptics on the health care reform legislation and thinks a government takeover is the ultimate goal.

"I really believe that there's an agenda here, and the agenda goes beyond what a lot of people are seeing and believing the agenda is," Wieck said.