Zach Galifianakis is now HealthCare.gov’s biggest traffic driver

US President Barack Obama smiles during an event honoring 2012-2013 NCAA Division I College Mens and Womens Champions on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on March 10, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

(SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

The Internet giveth, and the Internet taketh away. Or maybe that should be the other way around. Months after HealthCare.gov's botched launch, it's suddenly enjoying a burst of popularity. Where is all the love coming from? According to the White House's top spokesperson for health care, it's the comedy site FunnyorDie.com:

 

What's driving the explosion in traffic? Obama went on Zach Galifianakis' mock interview show, "Between Two Ferns" — and Obama made a pitch to younger Americans to sign up for insurance.

“I wouldn’t be with you here today if I didn’t have something to plug," Obama said. "Have you heard of the Affordable Care Act?”

The strategy seems to be working.

According to a Julie Bataille, a spokesperson for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 19,000 viewers of the Galifianakis video had continued on to Healthcare.gov as of 3:30 p.m. Eastern. It's unclear, however, just how big of a success story that really is. For instance, as of 5 p.m. Eastern, the "Two Ferns" interview boasted 5.9 million views. We also don't know who the next largest referrer is. I've reached out to a CMS official and I'll update this post with more if and when I hear back.

Brian Fung
Brian Fung covers technology for The Washington Post, focusing on electronic privacy, national security, digital politics and the Internet that binds it all together. He was previously the technology correspondent for National Journal and an associate editor at the Atlantic. His writing has also appeared in Foreign Policy, Talking Points Memo, the American Prospect and Nonprofit Quarterly.

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