Outliers was intrigued to learn HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is turning to professional sports leagues to get the word out on open enrollment for the insurance exchanges that starts in a few months.
But why stop there when you can turn on some real super power for the educational campaign? Say Wonder Woman—or at least the actress best known for playing her, Lynda Carter?
Sebelius already has a connection with Carter. In June, they were part of what the Associated Press called a “vaguely synchronized chorus line” with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi behind former Supremes singer Mary Wilson to serenade Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) on becoming the longest-serving member of Congress.
But if a superheroine isn't available, pro athletes are definitely on HHS' radar.
“The Red Sox were incredibly effective in Massachusetts when they rolled out their marketplace coverage, so it's a logical place to go,” Sebelius told reporters in a briefing about HHS' public outreach campaign last week. “We're going to be going wherever people are—so using social media certainly in a much more extended fashion, using all of the efforts that are underway to reach out to consumers in a way that they understand and is easy to find and easy to reach.”
Sebelius said those discussions center around both paid advertising campaigns and also partnership efforts, and that the NFL has been “very actively and enthusiastically engaged” because the organization sees health promotion as good for the NFL and the country.
Follow Outliers on Twitter: @MHOutliers
