When was the last time a federal agency actively worked to market a bill? In fact, when was the last time a federal agency worked with non-profits to sell a mandate on buying health insurance? Considering we’ve never had one, I’ll say never.

The latest example of such coordination is the Department of Health and Human Services and the “Young Invincibles.”

As the Free Beacon reports:

“The Obama administration is co-sponsoring a video contest aimed at convincing young people to sign up for health insurance, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Monday.”

Both HHS and the “Young Invincibles,” a health care advocacy group, refused to name the source of their funding. 

There’s definitely a problem with your product if you have to pay your customers “cash and prizes” in exchange for a purchase. Isn’t the point of buying insurance to lower costs over time? Why can’t we just say that? Why not sell a high-deductible, low-premium option to young people? One stripped of all prevention coverage, such as smoking cessation programs and addiction rehabilition?

Instead, the Obama administration has to beg young people to sing songs about a bill that will probably make them poorer. In 2014 it’ll be cheaper to just pay the penalty rather than buy a bronze health insurance plan. 

However, I’m not worried: Non-compliance penalties will increase from $95 to $695 a year in 2016. Why waste the money funding this video when our government will benefit from such gouging anyway?