California launches $45 million campaign pushing for ObamaCare enrollment

California is launching a $45 million publicity campaign to promote enrollment in new healthcare options available under ObamaCare.

{mosads}State officials eschewed big-name celebrities in their initial enrollment campaign, opting instead for a focus on everyday Californians. The approach is a shift from California’s earlier publicity plans, which would have relied heavily on Hollywood to help sell the healthcare law.

The state’s new insurance exchange, Covered California, launched three new television ads, including a Spanish-language commercial. 

“Soon, Californians from Sacramento to Salinas to San Diego will have equal access to quality health insurance,” one ad states. “Those who need financial assistance will get it. And nobody will be denied because of a pre-existing condition.”

The ads will begin running this weekend in three test markets and expand to a statewide audience by October — when the window to purchase coverage officially opens.

“We’ve done the background research to make sure we reach people in ways that are specific to their hopes, fears and concerns and that reflect the rich diversity of California’s population,” Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said in a statement.

Covered California expects to spend $45 million on the publicity campaign between now and the end of March, when the open enrollment period ends. It will spend another $35 million through the end of next year.

The money came from a federal grant. States that set up their own insurance exchanges, as California did, were eligible for significant federal funding to help establish the new marketplaces and encourage their residents to enroll.