Weber Shandwick has picked up a $33M task order from the Dept. of Health and Human Services as the federal government ramps up outreach for the Affordable Care Act.

The Interpublic unit, one of a handful of pre-selected firms that handle assignments for HHS, has been working through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to promote health insurance exchanges under ObamaCare over the past two years.

A procurement document outlining the latest award to WS says the pact was signed July 12 and runs through May 31, 2014.

The Obama administration is ratcheting up its PR outreach as an Oct. 1 deadline for exchanges to start offering coverage looms. President Obama is speaking today on the ACA to kickoff a push dubbed by the Washington Post July 18 "the president's toughest campaign yet."

Young people and minorities are key to the federal outreach as their insurance payments would help offset the costs of older (and sicker) Americans.

The federal government will run exchanges covering 36 states. Fourteen states and D.C. will run their own exchanges.