By Jane Norman, CQ HealthBeat Associate Editor

Harry and Louise are back, and they’ve switched teams.

The duo credited with helping kill the Clinton-era health care overhaul through TV ads financed by the insurance industry are the stars of a new $4 million ad campaign.

But this time, the bill is being footed by a partnership made up of liberal-leaning Families USA and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and the message is that the health care system needs improvement. Families USA and PhRMA said earlier this year they would work together to promote policies such as a new floor for Medicaid eligibility, subsidies for people who can’t afford health insurance and a cap on out-of-pocket health expenditures.

Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said the new Harry and Louise ad will run for three weeks on national cable networks such as CNN and MSNBC.

Harry (an actor whose real name is Harry Johnson) and Louise (played by actress Louise Caire Clark) were among the participants at a rally Thursday celebrating the passage of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee health overhaul bill. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd , the Connecticut Democrat who’s been filling in for ailing Chairman Sen. Edward M. Kennedy , said the bill approved by the committee on Wednesday is a “uniquely American plan” that will provide affordable, quality health care for Americans.

Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa said the lineup including Harry and Louise was in sharp contrast to the failed attempts at change 15 years ago. “This time we have most of corporate America with us,” said Harkin, a member of the HELP Committee. “Even Harry and Louise are with us.”

Johnson said he has good health insurance through the Screen Actors Guild but that’s not the case for 50 million uninsured Americans. “All Americans really want is health care they can afford,” he said.

Added Clark: “We’re so thrilled to be here and we’d love to be of service in any way we can.”

In the new ad Harry and Louise are back at the kitchen table, though in a somewhat more upscale kitchen, this time talking about the need for affordable health insurance coverage that people can keep even if they lose their jobs. “A little more cooperation, a little less politics, and we can get the job done this time,” says Louise.

It being 2009, Harry and Louise are also on Facebook and Twitter as well.

This isn’t the first revival of Harry and Louise. They appeared in a 2008 ad that ran during the national conventions which urged action on health care and was financed by the Catholic Health Association, National Federation of Independent Business, Families USA, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and American Hospital Association.