LOS ANGELES — Can your uncle be a better pitchman for the health overhaul than the president?

Supporters of the insurance law have kicked off a national campaign urging family members and friends to spread the word to their loved ones about the availability of coverage.

The hope is that familiar faces can do something President Barack Obama, thus far, has not achieved — getting millions of healthy, younger adults to enroll for coverage under the federal health care law.

The concept borrows from basic political thinking — an individual is more likely to be convinced to make a decision by a trusted family member or friend, rather than a droning TV ad, a politician or a stranger knocking at the door.

“Meaningful discussions between friends is what makes the most difference in people acting,” said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the state-run exchange that is spearheading the campaign.

“When friends tell friends, people know that the voice matters,” Lee added.

To get the chatter going, the “Tell a Friend Get Covered” campaign will lean heavily on celebrity endorsements, online videos and other Internet traffic. For example, Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, People magazine’s “sexiest man alive” for 2013, urged his followers on Twitter to get coverage.

Since launching the program, the White House has benefited from celebrity support as it attempts to draw a crowd — Amy Poehler and Lady Gaga are among the actors, comedians and musicians who have pushed the overhaul. Fran Drescher and Kal Penn are among the Hollywood talent expected to lend a hand in the “Tell a Friend” campaign.

The latest marketing strategy comes after a troubled two months for the national overhaul — sign-ups have lagged and the disastrous launch of the federal government’s website was blamed for dampening enrollments.

The Health and Human Services Department reported Wednesday that 364,682 people had signed up for private coverage under the law as of Nov. 30. That is more than three times the October figure but still less than one-third of the 1.2 million that officials had projected would enroll nationwide by the end of November. The administration’s overall goal was to sign up 7 million people by next March 31, when open enrollment ends.

People face a Dec. 23 deadline to sign up if they are to have coverage by New Year’s. California, the nation’s most populous state with about 38 million residents, runs its own exchange and led the nation with 107,087 sign-ups.

Largely at issue is luring young, healthy people needed to make the overhaul financially viable. Premiums paid by the younger and healthier group, between 18 and 35, are needed by insurance companies to offset the cost of carrying older and sicker customers who typically generate more in medical bills than they contribute in premiums.

Lee said Covered California will cover most of the campaign’s expenses, although the total has not been finalized. He estimated it would amount to a small fraction of the agency’s marketing budget; Covered California expects to spend more than $200 million on television and online ads, billboards, door-to-door visits and other sales pitches and promotions to convince people to enroll.

The campaign’s website features videos that urge younger adults to seek coverage.

In one, a mountain biker is seen crashing on a trail, then clutching his arm. In another, set to rap-style music, Obama impersonator Iman Crosson touts health coverage.

Both videos rely on only generalities about the law.