Millennials: Generation ObamaCare 'opt-out'
New ad indicates the Affordable Care Act may not appear so 'affordable' to disillusioned, poor young people who would rather pay a penalty
This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," December 9, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Operation Opt-Out. Young Americans targeting other young Americans using a popular game to warn them about ObamaCare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it the botched rollout?
(BUZZER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or was it because the website kept crashing?
(BUZZER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did our generation decide to opt out of ObamaCare? Because we haven't lost our (EXPLETIVE DELETED) minds. We don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a doomed government program. And we're tired of footing the bill for Washington's failures.
(BUZZER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So sorry, politicians, our health care is not a game.
(BUZZER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAN SUSTEREN: Evan Feinberg is president of Generation Opportunity. He joins us.
Is that your ad?
EVAN FEINBERG, PRESIDENT, GENERATION OPPORTUNITY: It is our ad. We're trying to let young people know that ObamaCare is a disaster. Really, they are finding out on their own. They are seeing the prices and how expensive it is. They are choosing to opt out of this big, creepy, intrusive health care plan that's not right for them.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why do you care?
FEINBERG: I care because my generation is not doing so well right now. The effective unemployment for my generation is 16 percent. But we are being asked to pay three times as much for our health care in order to subsidize an older, sicker population's health care. It's not right.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you want no health care for young people or did you think there's any -- before ObamaCare, do you think that the health care system needed reformed?
FEINBERG: We think young people should make the responsible decision and buy health care. Young people can find health care right now in the private market. 96 percent of uninsured young people do not have a chronic condition. It's not hard for them to buy a really inexpensive health care plan. ObamaCare makes it way more expensive and they're paying huge deductibles. 51 percent of young people right now know that ObamaCare is going to increase their costs. Just 10 percent believe it's going to lower their health care costs.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you not like the provision, up to age 26, you can stay on your parents?
FEINBERG: I don't think it's that much help. So many parents are getting kicked of health insurance because of ObamaCare in the first place. More importantly, it's not cool or right to turn your 20s into your adolescents. So many people that can't find a job and getting insurance on themselves are stuck being dependent on mom or dad or the government until they are 26.
VAN SUSTEREN: But if they can't get a job then they are not going to be able to buy health care insurance so why not let them stay on their parents?
FEINBERG: I don't think it's that helpful. A lot of their parents don't have insurance and they are stuck being dependent on mom and dad rather than going out on their own. There's not a policy that promotes the American dream of independence and opportunity for my generation.
VAN SUSTEREN: Let me ask you about Generation Opportunity. What is that?
FEINBERG: Generation Opportunity is an organization that advocates for young people. We are trying to get young people involved in the political process, and fighting for their economic freedom and their future against politicians and big government that are often stealing our economic freedom and stealing out future right out from under us.
VAN SUSTEREN: Where do you get the money? Looks like an expensive ad. Where do you get the money?
FEINBERG: We've got a variety of donors and we're focused on working with people across the country who care deeply about helping our generation to fight for their own freedom.
VAN SUSTEREN: I'm wondering if you are sort of like -- you know, there is some very influential group that funds you and, as a consequence, you have got to take some marching orders from other group. How independent are you.
FEINBERG: No. We're an independent organization that's able to fight for our peers. And you see these ads are really creative opportunities with -- to very inexpensively reach millions of young people. The difference in what we're doing and what the tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money is trying to accomplish by the administration and by their allies is they are trying to use PSAs and opportunities to reach young people through really stodgy PSA-style ads. We have creative ads created by young people for young people that are able to reach millions of young Americans.
VAN SUSTEREN: Where do you place your ads?
FEINBERG: All on YouTube. These are all web videos that have gone viral because of the creative content not because of a huge ad budget.
VAN SUSTEREN: Any idea how much the one we just showed, and keep on showing, any ideas how many hits you have had on that one?
FEINBERG: On that Operation Game ad, we've had over 260,000 hits already. Some of them --
VAN SUSTEREN: Since when? Since what period of time?
FEINBERG: Since Thursday when it went live. Other ads have had well over 2.5 to three million views apiece. All totaled, we put out five videos and had five million people watch them and learn they have the opportunity to opt out of ObamaCare and take a better deal for themselves.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you have health insurance?
FEINBERG: I do.
VAN SUSTEREN: What kind -- is it individual or through your organization?
FEINBERG: I have insurance through my employer.
VAN SUSTEREN: Not through your parents, right?
(LAUGHTER)
FEINBERG: Not through my parents.
VAN SUSTEREN: Through your employer. And your employer, would that be Generation Opportunity?
FEINBERG: Generation Opportunity, we're able to offer health care to our employees. But I will tell you what, it's getting more and more expensive every single year. It went up by multiples this year because of all the provisions of ObamaCare making health care so much more expensive in this country. So it's getting harder and harder for us to even offer it to our employees.
VAN SUSTEREN: How many ads do you have?
FEINBERG: Five videos that are up online right now.
VAN SUSTEREN: And if you go onto YouTube and put Generation Opportunity, they pull your videos.
FEINBERG: That's right. Generation Opportunity on YouTube. They can follow us @genopportunity on Twitter or follow us on Facebook. We continue to push out fun and creative content that's getting our generation engaged on a really important debate right now.
VAN SUSTEREN: How many are following you on Twitter, Generation Opportunity? Any idea?
FEINBERG: We've got just under 10,000 now, I think. We have got well over two million to follow us on Facebook.
VAN SUSTEREN: Evan, nice it to see you.
FEINBERG: Nice to see you.
VAN SUSTEREN: I'll go check out the other videos.
Thank you, Evan.
FEINBERG: Thank you.
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