Actor Bradley Cooper is being hailed as the savior of Obamacare after President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that over 7 million people applied for the health care program by the March deadline.
According to Vanity Fair, Health and Human Services noticed a surge in enrollment after the release of the Zack Galifianakis interview with Obama during his webisode series Between Two Ferns. The idea for the hilarious confrontation was pitched by Cooper during the White House state dinner on February 11.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview, “Web site traffic surged once the Between Two Ferns interview went on.”
Politico reports that the FunnyorDie video became the largest referral site for Obamacare.gov following its March 11 release, reaching over 20 million viewers since. The White House and others have sponsored many other efforts to reach the 7 million mark, including 300 radio plugs, 5,000 events, and a LeBron James commercial.
One of its greatest supporters, Bill Clinton, praised the accomplishment saying, “President Obama, the people who worked so hard to implement the law, and those who voted for it should be commended.”
This year marks Cooper’s second Oscar nomination for his role in the film American Hustle.