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Obama plugs healthcare on Galifianakis' online talk show

President Barack Obama departs the White House for a day trip to New York, on March 11, 2014 in Washington, D.C. UPI/Kevin Dietsch
President Barack Obama departs the White House for a day trip to New York, on March 11, 2014 in Washington, D.C. UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo

WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama reached out to online viewers of "Hangover" franchise star Zach Galifianakis, visiting his parody interview show to discuss healthcare.

Galifianakis' interview with Obama, recorded two weeks ago, debuted early Tuesday and White House aides who saw the conversation says it kept with the show's spirit, the New York Times reported.

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Aides said Obama's key reason to appear on the show is to urge young people to sign up for health insurance on the government's website, healthcare.gov, before the March 31 deadline for enrolling this year.

"We have to find ways to break through," said Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's senior adviser and chief communications strategist. "This is essentially an extension of the code we have been trying to crack for seven years now."

Galifianakis' "Between Two Ferns," which captures the low-budget look of public access television, has had episodes viewed as many as 30 million times, often because of their outrageous content, the Times said.

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