California Exchange Grants $37 Million To Sell Obamacare

Covered California, the state’s Obamacare health insurance exchange, announced on May 14 that it had awarded $37 million to promote the implementation of the health insurance law.  Unsurprisingly, many of the groups selected to receive grants have a similar political bent — or vested financial interest in selling health care services.

Recipients of grants (pdf list) include labor unions, community organizations, universities, and organizations linked to big health care providers. Five non-profits representing community business groups received funding, as well. 

The groups have various plans for ways to spend the money, including outreach at campus locations, health clinics, and door-to-door canvassing. Assuming the groups don’t simply pocket the money while doing some photo-op work, they will have plenty of community organizing jobs for people in a state with high unemployment.  They’ll need the extra cash, because Obamacare is going to make health care expensive.

Planned Parenthood ($694,000), Catholic Charities ($859,000), and organizations for community health centers received funding, which they can use to advertise the services of the health care providers to which they are attached. 

The LA Unified School District will get $990,000. The district listed as a primary outcome, “Teens trained to be messengers to family members”. So the government education monopoly will be delivering propaganda via children. Will the kids be tasked with checking up on parents, too?

Three labor unions, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; SEIU Local 521; and SEIU Union of Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW) each were awarded $1 million for outreach to prospective members. 

Covered California describes the LA Federation of Labor as (emphasis added)

Los Angeles County Federation of Labor seeks to promote a voice for workers through organizing into unions, building strong coalitions of labor, community, faith, and responsible businesses, engaging in both organizing and political campaigns, electing pro-union and pro-worker candidates and advancing public policies that support workers, families and local communities.

Its outreach plan includes door-to-door, one-on-one education and convention-site events. So a group that bills itself and that Covered California proudly recognizes as explicitly involved in politics will get $1 million to elect pro-Obamacare candidates.

The SEIU ULTCW lists robocalls as part of its outreach plan, which ought to thrill Californians.

Pro-freedom groups and Obamacare opponents are going to have to work even harder to educate Californians about the dangers of the law, which continues to be unpopular