DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The television ads show a series of medical mishaps: a man kicking the wrong leg in a reflex check, a urine sample bottle that won't open for a frustrated patient and a blood pressure cuff letting out a strange noise when the doctor presses the plastic bulb.

After each scene, a narrator says: "Things don't always work like they're supposed to. Good thing the government exchange website isn't the only place to buy health insurance."

A Midwestern company not participating in the federal health insurance marketplace next year launched the ads recently in Iowa and South Dakota. They poke fun at the technical problems that have plagued the federal government's enrollment website.