HHS is hitting the malls this weekend to make sure that Obamacare is on the minds of consumers during the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
The department on Wednesday will announce new partnerships it has made with retail stores, pharmacies and popular websites to spread the word about the current open enrollment season, which began on Nov. 15 and ends Feb. 15. On three key days after Thanksgiving — Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday — as well as dates beyond, Westfield Shopping Centers, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the XO Group will provide consumers with information about how they can sign up for coverage through the exchanges.
The outreach approach is a stark shift from Obamacare’s first year, when HHS utilized celebrities and other high-profile figures to generate buzz about HealthCare.gov. But with a shorter enrollment period this time around, the necessity of capturing renewals and the challenges of messaging in the midst of a frenetic holiday season, HHS is turning to more practical approaches to get people to enroll.
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said the Obama administration was excited about the three partnerships and their potential for reaching Americans, “whether consumers are shopping at a mall, online or at their community pharmacy.”
The administration has already launched a more precise marketing strategy that uses targeted digital ads, focuses on specific demographics and uses social media.
As part of the new outreach initiative, Westfield malls in eight states will let navigators and other enrollment workers hand out fliers and do other outreach work to get people to enroll. The states are California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Washington.
HHS says it is teaming with retail pharmacies since they’re often the first source of insurance information for consumers. NCPA will host calls with HHS officials to train pharmacists about open enrollment, plus share information on the health care law with its 23,000 members.
Association CEO B. Douglas Hoey said the pharmacists would be able to guide individuals on getting covered. “Community pharmacists are front-line health care providers who serve as a critical access point to care for many Americans,” he said.
The XO Group, which owns popular websites like The Knot and The Bump, will use its sites to reach women who may be on the verge of getting married or having a baby. Such life events can trigger a change in health insurance.
Although HHS had to revise its latest exchange enrollment figures because dental plans were included, officials still say the goal is to have 9.1 million people signed up for Obamacare coverage by the end of 2015.
Date: November 26, 2014