Listen to Scarlett Johansson Try to Sell You on Obamacare

membership ticker

Right now is no time to come up short.

It's time to fight like hell for a democracy where minority rule cannot impose an extreme and cruel agenda, where the Big Lie is called a Big Lie, where facts matter, and where accountability at the polls and in the press has a fighting chance. We have our work cut out for us, and we urgently need to raise about 400,000 by Thursday, June 30, to finish our fiscal year on track and give it everything we possibly can. Please help us get there with a donation if you can right now.

$1,150,000

$1,350,000

Right now is no time to come up short. It's time to fight like hell for a democracy where minority rule cannot impose an extreme and cruel agenda, where facts matter, and where accountability at the polls and in the press has a fighting chance. We have our work cut out for us, and we still need to raise upwards of 400,000 by June 30 to give it everything we can. Please help:

Screenshot: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwrzMkPSeWc">The New York Times</a>/YouTube

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

Last Friday, Planned Parenthood announced that they had enlisted three actresses to help them inform Americans about details of the Affordable Care Act. Scarlett Johansson, Aisha Tyler, and Gabrielle Union (all active in progressive politics) each recorded special phone messages to remind callers about Obamacare eligibility.

“We’re grateful that Scarlett Johansson, Aisha Tyler, and Gabrielle Union are lending their voices to help make sure that Planned Parenthood patients learn about the law and how it will benefit them,” Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said in a press release.

The recordings—which are being used as hold messages—can be heard when people call certain Planned Parenthood health centers, and they will be played by more in the near future. (Planned Parenthood operates roughly 750 health centers around the country.) The messages are part of the reproductive health organization’s larger national campaign to help women get enrolled. Planned Parenthood provided Mother Jones with audio files of the three phone messages.

Johansson:

Union:

Tyler:

Each actress asks, “Did you know you may be able to enroll in new, more affordable health insurance plans?” and directs listeners to this website for more information.

In recent months, the Obama administration has also been active in celebrity outreach to help pitch the health care law, particularly to young Americans. In July, a cluster of Hollywood celebrities gathered at the White House for a chat on how they could help spread the word. In attendance—along with producers and writers—were big-name entertainers including Amy Poehler, Jennifer Hudson, Michael Cera, and Kal Penn. (Penn served stints as associate director for the Office of Public Engagement in the Obama administration and delivered this speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where Johansson also spoke.)