Report: $262M spent on ads for and against Obama's health care law

(CBS News) President Obama's health care law has been the subject of $262 million dollars worth of advertising since the bill passed two years ago, according to a new report.

An analysis by Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG) found that advertisements critical of the health care law have outnumbered supportive ads by a ratio of 3:1.

The analysis comes as the health care law continues to be an issue in the presidential election -- the Republican candidates have pledged to repeal the law.  In addition, the two year anniversary of the passage of the bill is Friday and the Supreme Court is set to hear six hours of oral arguments over three days next week.

CMAG found that political ads were used in the lead up to the 2010 midterm elections and started to pick up again in the past six months ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

The analysis finds that Republican presidential candidates and third-party political groups supporting Republican candidates have been the largest spenders in anti-health-care law ads since July, 2011.

In particular, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's campaign spent nearly $1.4 million in broadcast media against the health care bill; The Red White and Blue Fund, the super PAC supporting Rick Santorum, spent $1.7 million; And Karl Rove's pro-Republican super PAC, Crossroads GPS, invested $2.8 million for critical ads.

The ads opposed to the law are targeted in swing state markets including Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and Ohio.

Supporters of the health care bill doled out far fewer dollars to defend the bill. They spent just $57.9 million compared to opponents $204 million since March, 2010.

Furthermore, most of the advocacy measures have not been political in nature but have come from the Department of Health and Human Services in the form of political service announcements to inform low-income citizens of what the law offers.