The third annual open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act insurance coverage begins November 1, continuing through January 31.
The federal government and many states are launching public information campaigns to reach those who have not yet enrolled in insurance plans.
For example, Covered California, that state’s marketplace, will promote the open enrollment period with a $29 million advertising campaign, a statewide bus tour, and “Enroll Here” spotlights illuminating storefronts, clinics and hospitals throughout the state that offer ACA information.
The campaign is aimed at the 750,000 uninsured residents eligible for ACA insurance. Covered California expects to sign up 295,000 to 450,000 of them. It believes about a third of them don’t know about the subsidies available to them to defray some or all of the cost.
In Minnesota, the state’s MNSure exchange is partnering with four large insurance agencies to promote small business enrollment, and is opening a network of information centers to provide convenient walk-in service for consumers seeking coverage.
Oregon has awarded $10,000 grants to 24 insurance agencies who are creating drop-in enrollment centers in urban and rural areas during the open enrollment period, where insurance professionals will provide free help to consumers.
In Massachusetts, the state’s Health Connector, has beefed up its customer service center, reducing wait times on the phone to an average of 30 seconds from 20 minutes. It is opening walk-in centers in half a dozen cities, and is expanding the hours of its call centers into the evenings as well as Saturday and Sunday.
Vermont has upgraded and tested the technology used by its Vermont Health Connect marketplace, and is holding informational meetings for consumers at public libraries across the state.
Connecticut’s marketplace, Access Health CT, is taking a similar approach, hosting “community chats” in locations around the state. It is also setting up information booths at football games, concerts, fairs and other public events.
A month before the start of open enrollment, Maryland’s Health Benefit Exchange introduced a “window shop” option on its website to allow consumers to anonymously browse among the 53 plans available on the site, reviewing the costs, benefits, networks and other provisions without having to register or provide any personal information.
