The Obama administration enlisted the eSports League to make one last push to remind Americans to make sure they have qualifying health insurance coverage by Feb. 15 — Sunday — the deadline before they will face penalties under the Affordable Health Care Act.
Randal Holcombe, Joshua Gray, Geoff Robinson and his wife, Anna Prosser Robinson, all stump for the ease and affordability of signing up for qualifying healthcare in the video above. The White House has made it a point to target numerous diverse demographics in recent days as the filing deadline approaches; here, it's appealing to gamers.
Though the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is meant to increase the availability of health insurance to Americans, the system it puts in place mandates participation in private health insurance. For many this comes through policies routinely offered through full-time employee benefits, and for others it may be purchased through a federal or state exchange established by the law. The site healthcare.gov has more information.
Those who lack coverage will be expected to pay a penalty. In 2015, those who choose not to purchase health insurance face a $325 penalty when they file their income taxes next year, while the total fine is capped at $975 per household. Those who did not have coverage in 2014 will pay a lesser amount on the tax return they file this year.
The above public service announcement was a collaboration between healthcare.gov, the eSports League and Twitch.