As a new campaign debuts this week to promote health insurance exchanges across the country, insurers might be getting some much-needed assistance to recruit consumers to the online marketplaces set to open this October.
Enroll America, a non-profit group that promotes health reform, said Monday it's launching a promotional effort starting with community outreach building up toward a paid advertising campaign, The Hill's Healthwatch reported.
"There are millions of Americans without health insurance today," Enroll America's President Anne Filipic told reporters on a conference call, according to Bloomberg. "We know if they don't know about it, they won't enroll, and that is where we come in."
Initially, the campaign will mobilize thousands of volunteers to educate uninsured individuals about the exchanges, aiming to "create almost an echo chamber" of enrollment information, Filipic said. Enroll America will provide consumers with information through channels they already use, including door-to-door outreach, tables at community events such as farmers markets, and personal appeals at churches and other community institutions, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Enroll America already plans to hold 50 community events in states with high uninsured rates, including California, Texas and Florida, Bloomberg noted. "We know that this is a personal issue to folks, an overwhelming issue for many folks," Filipic said. "So we need to think about how do we make this as easy as possible for consumers."
To learn more:
- read The Hill's Healthwatch article
- see the Bloomberg article
- check out the Los Angeles Times article