This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

White House Youth Summit: Making Sure People Have the Information They Need to #GetCovered

December 4, 2013 at 7:50 PM ET by Kyle Lierman

Summary:

A group of of this country's finest national and local leaders aged 18-35 joined by White House and Administration staff for a Youth Summit focused on issues important to their generation -- especially spreading the word about the Affordable Care Act and organizing to get people enrolled in their respective communities

This afternoon, youth leaders from across the country gathered here for our White House Youth Summit. The Summit was made of up 160 of this country's finest national and local leaders aged 18-35. Joined by White House and Administration staff, these millennial participants discussed issues important to their generation -- especially spreading the word about the Affordable Care Act and organizing to get people enrolled in their respective communities. They also participated in a series of panels and breakout workshops with administration officials, stakeholder groups, and advocates.

To kick off the event, a very special guest dropped by to speak to the Youth Summit: President Obama -- who let young Americans know he needed their help.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the White House Youth Summit on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium, Dec. 4, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

So I'm going to need you all to spread the word about how the Affordable Care Act really works, what its benefits are, what its protections are and, most importantly, how people can sign up. I know people call this law Obamacare. And that's okay -- because I do care. I care about you. I care about families. I care about Americans.

But no matter how much I care, the truth is, is that for your friends and your family, the most important source of information is not going to be me, it's going to be you. They are going to trust you. If you're taking them on a website, walking them through it saying, look at the price you're able to get, look at the benefits you're able to get. That's what's going to be making a difference.

The President also encouraged attendees to keep their friends and family updated on all of the exciting things happening at the Youth Summit, saying "Post something on your Facebook or Instagram. You can tweet using the hashtag #getcovered. But do whatever it takes to make sure people have the information they need to make the decision that's right for them."

Here are some of our favorites:

#GetCovered because you can afford to and you can't afford not to. #WHYouthSummit @NikkiAllen32 pic.twitter.com/O1owp9yRB1
— Kellan White (@KellanWhite) December 4, 2013