National and State Health Groups Launch Tell a Friend - Get Covered Campaign To Enlist Entertainers in Spreading the Word about New Insurance Options

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- To raise awareness among the 35 million Americans who gain access to affordable health insurance starting January 1, Covered California, Access Health CT, the state marketplaces for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in California, Connecticut, and Enroll America announced today the Tell A Friend – Get Covered campaign - an initiative led in partnership with state-based health exchanges, and national partners.

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"We want to use this event to tap into California's richest natural resources, the creative entertainment sector and social media, to support health care coverage here and across the nation by educating about health care and most importantly encouraging them to get covered," said Peter V. Lee, Executive Director of Covered California. "This initiative is about friends telling friends to get covered, whether you tell 50, 500 or 5 million friends – we hope through this campaign to have more than 100 million contacts encouraging people to get coverage."

"We've seen first-hand how life-changing affordable, comprehensive health insurance can be for American families," said Anne Filipic, President of Enroll America. "That's why we're thrilled to join the Tell A Friend – Get Covered campaign, which will kick start conversations about health insurance that our hundreds of staff and thousands of volunteers will continue in communities across the country; together, we'll make sure consumers have the information they need to get the coverage that is right for them."

The Tell A Friend – Get Covered campaign aims to increase awareness and understanding of the options available in each state for health care coverage. Starting on December 12^th, entertainment leaders, such as Tatyana Ali, Fran Drescher, Armando Christian "Pitbull" Perez, Iman "AlphaCat" Crosson, and top digital stars partnered with Maker Studios, the world's largest provider of online video content for millennials, and many more have committed to make ongoing outreach to their fans and followers because they recognize the importance this can have in their lives. "Telling about the importance of getting covered is happening today in towns across Kentucky," said Miriam Fordham, Kynect's Director of Policy for the Kentucky Exchange. "Tell A Friend – Get Covered is a way to engage all Americans in the effort to make sure that their friends, family and neighbors get health care."

In addition to the ongoing communication and original digital content that will be released on a weekly basis, on January 16^th, there will be an 8-hour live-streamed event with segments ranging in length and topic but will cover issues of healthy living such as financial risks of being uninsured, prevention, healthy eating and much more. The event and continuing content is being produced by Maker Studios in Los Angeles, a producer and distributor of online content.

"Like we say at Cancer Schmancer, 'Take control of your body.' That's why I support Obamacare," said Fran Drescher. "Sign up and tell all your friends to sign up, too."

The January event will be streamed live throughout the day on YouTube and a microsite (www.tellafriendgetcovered.com) that viewers can visit to obtain additional information on living healthier and options for getting covered. The event will include interviews, performances, and more from a range of personalities and stories of people directly benefited by the Affordable Care Act. After January 16, the Tell A Friend – Get Covered campaign will continue to engage with consumers to encourage them to enroll in coverage before the end of open enrollment on March 31^st.

About Tell A Friend – Get Covered
The Tell A Friend – Get Covered campaign is a national collaboration coordinated by state health exchanges, led by Covered California along with national partners including Enroll America, with the goal of sharing the how's and why's of getting covered. The campaign will engage celebrities, athletes, musicians, social media creators and individuals who want to tell their friends to spread the word about how to get insurance coverage.  The campaign will include an 8-hour, live-streamed event on January 16 that will include stories, tips, helpful information and other details related to national health care options. The event will feature a number of celebrities, experts and individuals who can share their personal stories to promote healthy living and lifestyle choices so they can share their stories and encourage others to get covered. The campaign will culminate in March but ongoing content will be distributed starting in December through the end of the campaign to raise awareness about health care and how to get covered.

SOURCE Tell A Friend - Get Covered