Obamacare's Arm's-Length Allies: H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt

Tax-preparation services are turning out to be a great help to the Obama administration in its efforts to sign up uninsured Americans for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Customers who come into H&R Block, Liberty Tax Service, and Jackson Hewitt offices to file their returns are asked if they’d like to take a few minutes to see if they qualify for Obamacare. Intuit’s TurboTax and other online tax-prep services have also gotten in on the act.

What’s interesting is that the federal government has nothing to do with this. The companies are doing it on their own—and promoting it as a customer service. “We haven’t really consulted with the Department of Health and Human Services,” says Mark Ciaramitaro, H&R Block’s vice president for health services. “We came to this conclusion ourselves based on our clients’ stated needs.”