First on CNN: Obama campaign group helps health insurance sign-up effort
Washington (CNN) – The White House is getting some outside help in its final push to encourage enrollment in the Obamacare insurance exchanges before the sign-up period ends on March 31.
Organizing for Action, the political action group that grew out of President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, is releasing a new video on Thursday to go along with a series of tweets by prominent Democrats encouraging enrollment.
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The group is hoping the video and tweets will be shared on social media as part of the popular Twitter hashtag “Throwback Thursday,” where people share nostalgic pictures of themselves from the past.
The new video, which will be released Thursday afternoon, features actor John Cho, star of the popular “Harold and Kumar” movies, joking about the potentially dangerous things he did as a younger man. Cho’s co-star in those movies, Kal Penn, was a frequent surrogate for Obama during both of his campaigns and left acting for a period to work in the Obama White House.
“I’m really lucky I didn’t die in my 20’s,” Cho says in the video. “You’re just doing the stupidest stuff in your early 20’s.”
While Cho says he won’t get into specifics, in the video he says, “Rode a cheetah,” “Hang gliding,” and “Grapple hooks.”
“Accidents happen, and you’ve gotta be prepared,” Cho adds.
The video and tweets are part of a campaign OFA is calling “Life Happens – Get Covered,” where they hope their supporters will share pictures or memories of times they were injured and appreciated their health insurance.
Chicago Mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker also got in on the fun. Emmanuel tweeted a photo of his right hand, where he’s missing the tip of his middle finger due to an injury sustained as a teenager.
“Because #LifeHappens. #GetCoveredNow,” Emmanuel wrote.
Using the same hashtags, Booker shared a photo of himself as a high school football player, landing on his head while catching a football.
OFA’s efforts on Thursday are part of a month-long effort meant to spread the word about enrollment, and specifically to encourage young people who are uninsured to purchase coverage.
The demographic, often called "young invincibles," is seen as crucial to keeping health care costs down on the new exchanges because younger customers are often less expensive to insure.
@Tampa Tim-Then why complain at Harold for telling people in their 20`s to stay on their parents plan?
W – You did not lose your insurance, you get to keep your junk policy for another year. Most found that they get a better policy for less. This wingnut crap is getting old.
God bless obamacare
@Rudy-"Oh, five or six million". Do you just pull numbers from nowhere? Is there any real data to back any of this up?
Give us all the horrid details freedom, I'm expecting crickets, or another Koch brothers sob story by paid actors who have insurance.
Smith – 27, 28, and 29 year olds are not allowed on their parents plan. Earlier Fair defended red state governors from taking part in Medicaid expansion citing cost. For the first 3 years the federal government pays 100%, and 90% through 2022. Pretty lame excuse for red state governors to not help their citizens.
Fair is Fair wrote:
"Rudy NYC
Now. How many people are being denied health insurance altogether because their Republican governor refuses to expand Medicaid? Probably at least twice that got their policies cancelled. Shucks, there's 3/4 of a million folks in Georgia alone being denied health care insurance. Now mulitply that by a couple dozen states, and suddenly you've got a significant number of folks on your hands."
Hey Rudy. Answer a question honestly for me. The "people being denied health insurance because republican governors refusing to expand medicaid". First, do you believe that the republican governors are doing it to spite these people, or because they don't want their state to be left holding the bag after the federal government money to pay for it dries up in 3 years? And one more if you would be so kind – why aren't these people getting their insurance from the federal exchange at little to no cost due to the available subsidies?
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Sure thing. I'll get around to it once you stop ignoring my questions. You already owe me at least one today. Next!
@Tampa Tim- Why is it that everybody the ACA effected in a negative way a dishonest wingnut? Are you that much in denial that the plan is not perfect?
smith – in Florida, we are bombarded with Koch brothers lies about Obamacare, and fact check does wonders.
My boys are in college and I can add them back to my insurance.
Once they are out of college, they are on their own.
smith – when I compare Obamacare to the republican lack of any plan, I am willing to not expect a Utopian plan. There must be something good about ACA, or the Kochs would not spend $800 million to destroy it.
smith
@Rudy-"Oh, five or six million". Do you just pull numbers from nowhere? Is there any real data to back any of this up?
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I got the number form these forums. It's more or less the number that folks keep tossing out there, aside from the posts that cliam "tens of millions" of people have lost their policies. The outliers are discarded, naturally. In any case, as I indicated, I'd be curious to know the exact numbers. No doubt, more are being denied than those who have been declined. Furthermoe, most of those that may have been denied, are able to get insurance. The governors are simply taking away the opportunity to millions of people. Period.
Tampa Tim
Smith – 27, 28, and 29 year olds are not allowed on their parents plan. Earlier Fair defended red state governors from taking part in Medicaid expansion citing cost. For the first 3 years the federal government pays 100%, and 90% through 2022. Pretty lame excuse for red state governors to not help their citizens.
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The increased number of jobs in the health care industry should more than pay for it.
Tampa Tim-I think that the ACA has helped some people and has impacted some in a negative way , such as myself. I personally think the pre-existing conditions rule is a bright spot of ACA. Just saying there are two sides to the ACA.