Why the White House wants mothers to love ‘Obamacare’

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The Mother Day’s event at the White House on Friday, in which the president appeared with a group of women to tout the benefits of the so-called Affordable Care Act, wasn’t just about mothers.

White House officials say the goal of the speech and others that will happen over the next several months is to get women, particularly those with adult children, firmly behind the law. Then, administration officials hope, when enrollment for “Obamacare” starts on October 1, these women will effectively serve as surrogates for the law, encouraging their sons and daughters to sign for up for subsidized health insurance. Getting people under 35 to enroll in Obamacare is critical for the administration, as having more young, healthy people in the new system will likely reduce the average costs of premiums.

“This is too important for political games. Most moms and dads don’t think about politics when their kid gets sick,” Obama said.

In his remarks, the president emphasized that most Americans are largely unaffected by the law or already benefiting from some of its lesser-known provisions. But over next year, it could vastly expand health insurance, particularly for the young and minorities. More than half of the uninsured in America are either black (16 percent), Asian (5 percent) or Hispanic (30 percent), and more than 40 percent are between the ages of 18 and 34.

With the recession leaving many young people either jobless or in work that does not provide health insurance, the administration hopes that several million young adults will sign for coverage over the next year. That would help provide new, non-expensive customers for health insurance companies, who are wary that the law requires them to offer health insurance, without additional mark-ups, to people who are either elderly or have illnesses.

Follow Perry Bacon Jr. on Twitter at @perrybaconjr