Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye/Newscom
Even among the law’s supporters, Obamacare is in the toilet. Quite literally.
As The Washington Post reports, states implementing Obamacare’s exchanges are considering all kinds of methods to promote Obamacare. Reporter Sarah Kliff spoke with Michael Marchand, the head of Washington State’s exchange:
Marchand has been thinking up all sorts of ways to make sure young people hear about the new health program. Perhaps in music-heavy Washington state, it’s no surprise that his thoughts have gravitated toward outreach at concerts and music festivals.
“We’ve talked about everything we could use, even whether we could do some branding on porta-potties,” he said. “I want to sponsor charging stations, too. Talk about a captive audience. They’re standing there, charging their iPhones.”
Kliff reports on other states’ plans to “educate” their citizens about Obamacare, all using federal dollars provided through exchange grants. For instance, “Oregon may reel in hipsters with branded coffee cups for their lattes.” And Connecticut’s exchange “plans to head to the beach this summer” to promote Obamacare:
Officials will hand out sunscreen customized with a “get covered” slogan and hire an airplane to fly over beaches with a banner that advertises the new agency.
No word yet on whether Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) has suggested state exchanges partner with Amtrak, given his recent comments about the state of Obamacare implementation.
Jokes aside, the gusher of federal spending on exchange grants and related promotional activities demonstrates the problem with Obamacare. At a time when our nation’s debt is approaching $17 trillion, using taxpayer funds to buy latte cups, sunscreen, and portable toilets represents a massive amount of waste. It’s yet another reason why Congress should act to defund Obamacare and refuse to spend a single dime on such frivolous expenditures.