Although he may not be the best basketball or football player, President Obama has no qualms using professional athletes to serve as ambassadors for his healthcare agenda.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is in the process of engaging the National Football League to help promote Obamacare, which officially launches on October 1.
“The NFL, for instance, in the conversations I’ve had, has been very actively and enthusiastically engaged because they see health promotion as one of the things that is good for them and good for the country,” Sebelius told reporters Monday.
According to Reuters, the NFL has yet to comment on the discussions.
The Health Insurance Marketplace, which is featured on the White House’s revamped healthcare website, now serves as an informational site for customers who will be able to buy plans at the start of October.
The administration is looking to target 2.7 million young Americans between the ages of 18 and 35, the majority of whom are male and from a minority, to sign up for government healthcare because they tend to have fewer health expenses than other adults. Having them in the program can help keep premiums from rising dramatically for more expensive patients, including those with preexisting conditions.
The NFL isn’t the only professional sports league that the HHS has targeted. Last week, Sebelius reached out to the National Basketball Association for help in scoring some marketing points with the public.
“We’re having active discussions right now with a variety of sports affiliates,” Sebelius said.
Initiating professional sports teams’ help with healthcare legislation isn’t anything particularly revolutionary. In 2006, the Boston Red Sox helped promote and publicize Massachusetts’ new healthcare reform law.
