Obama: ‘No ferns. No memes’ in final plea urging people to sign up for ObamaCare

Former President Obama on Monday took to Twitter to urge his followers to sign up for health insurance before the Saturday deadline.

{mosads}Obama mentioned how in the past he had made more light-hearted efforts in trying to boost enrollment into ObamaCare, but said this year he decided to play it straight.

“This year is different,” Obama says in a video to his Twitter followers. “Young people have stepped up like never before, on campuses, at the voting booth and at the doors of power.”

No jump shots. No ferns. No memes. Not this time. I’m going to give it to you straight: If you need health insurance for 2019, the deadline to get covered is December 15. Go to https://t.co/ob1Ynoesod today and pass this on — you just might save a life. pic.twitter.com/8mHMsXGY0g

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 10, 2018

Obama says that due to the surge in support, he does not need to be seen taking jump shots or sitting between two ferns with comedian Zach Galifianakis to stress the importance of being covered by health insurance.

The video ends with Obama wearing digital glasses with a rainbow backdrop.

“You’ve got a filter on me, don’t you?” Obama asks the person behind the camera.

The video had more than half a million views less than an hour after being posted.

Obama has made pitches about signing up for health insurance a staple in previous years. The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as ObamaCare, is widely seen as one of his lasting achievements.

A recent Reuters poll found that nearly 60 percent of respondents want ObamaCare to stay in place.

President Trump had promised on the campaign trail to repeal ObamaCare, but repeal and replace measures have so far been unsuccessful in the Senate.

Enrollment in ObamaCare plans is down by 11 percent compared to last year, according to numbers released by the Trump administration. 

In the first five weeks of this year’s sign-up period, about 3.2 million people signed up for ObamaCare plans, compared to the 3.6 million who had signed up by that point last year.