NBA superstar Shaquille O'neal has just announced that the White House is holding a live-streamed video game tournament next week. The effort is an attempt to encourage young adults to sign up for Obamacare.
In a YouTube video, O'neal invites gamers to watch the video game tournament that will feature a number of eSport games and stars. The event is scheduled on December 12 and is a bid to raise awareness about America's Affordable Care Act or better known as Obamacare.
The event is a first for the White House, eSports has gain a lot of popularity after revenues are projected to grow 51.7 percent from 2016 to 2019. The increase will almost double the $493 million industry to $1.12 billion in 2019.
The Video Game Tournament Is Targeted To Promote Obamacare to Young Adults
In a post from The White House's official website, the event will be streamed live on Twitch, an Amazon video game streaming service that the company bought back in 2014. In a blog written by Erik Martin, policy advisor for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The eSport tournament is aimed for millennials and young adults.
According to his blog post young adults have the highest uninsured rates before Obamacare and have seen the sharpest drop in uninsured rates since 2010. Millions of millennials still remain uninsured, and many of those uninsured young adults could qualify for tax credits on the Health Insurance Marketplace to keep insurance affordable.
Most health care consumers can even find a plan for $75 a month that's cheaper than most of their mobile phone bill. As of now Shaq's YouTube video still has less than 1000 views. A clear sign that interest in the event is not as productive as The White House thinks.
