http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/198885-first-lady-encourages-young-knuckleheads-to-get-healthcareFebruary 21, 2014, 08:24 am
First lady encourages young 'knuckleheads' to get healthcare
By Mario Trujillo
First lady Michelle Obama called on young “knuckleheads” to sign up for healthcare — saying they are not invincible.
Appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” Obama said young people have the perception they are invincible, but “life happens.”
“And a lot of young people think they are invincible but the truth is young people are knuckleheads,” she said. “They are the ones who are cooking for the first time and slicing their finger open. They are dancing on the bar stool.”
She was quick to point out the federal healthcare exchange website is functioning better than it was in the early days of the rollout last year.
“It’s working!” she said, adding that young people could get healthcare for “less than the cost of gym shoes.”
Obama made her appearance on the show to promote her “Let’s Move” campaign, appearing in a sketch along side Fallon and Will Farrell, who both portrayed female characters.
“Exercise is not ew,” Obama said, using the catchphrase from the skit. “You just have to find an activity that is right for you.”
The first lady touted a new initiative aimed at encouraging people around the country to share how they exercise through social media.
She said if enough people shared photos, she would get President Obama and Vice President Biden will show the public “how they move.”
“I want to see how people around the country are moving and changing the standards for health for our kids, because people are doing some amazing things,” she said. “And the fun thing is that if we get enough of a response, we will have a little surprise. The president and maybe the vice president will show us how they move.”
She said she has “a little pull” in that department.
During the 10-minute interview, Obama also talked about her two daughters’ reluctance to live in the White House.
"Malia is like, 'Dad, please just don't come to my school,'” she said. “Just keep your SWAT team [away]. They really want normalcy and the White House isn't normal. So they go other places."
Malia will soon turn 16, which will allow her to get her driver’s license.
“They have got to be able to function as normal people, and driving is a part of that," Obama said.
