A Clearer Vision Of Signup Targets
By Kate Harrison Belz, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn. |
"Reality is -- you can't prevent the unexpected," a narrator says. "But you can prepare for it with affordable health coverage."
The commercial, which presents an "America's Funniest Home Videos"-style compilation of laughable accidents, has begun circulating online as part of BlueCross BlueShield's latest efforts to reach a much-coveted demographic -- millennials.
Insurers and advocacy groups alike are approaching Round Two of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollment with a much clearer idea of the holes unfilled during last year's enrollment and the demographics they need to target this year.
"There are definitely certain tactics and best practices we learned from the first open enrollment period that we're utilizing to reach those target populations this time," said
For insurers, millennials are the ones wearing the big bulls-eyes. Having young, healthy people on insurance plans will be crucial to balance costs incurred by the older, sicker people who readily signed up for plans last year.
That lopsided dynamic is one of the reasons why BlueCross officials said they had to raise premiums an average of 19 percent on its exchange plans this year.
"We just did not see as many Gen Y consumers as we had hoped during the last enrollment," said
BlueCross has purchased heavy ad rotation on video streaming sites like YouTube and
The insurer also is reaching out to Latinos, hiring bilingual agents and buying ads on
"Last year we were just trying to survive," said Raynor. "This year we are more brave and trying new things."
Enroll America also is aiming at Latino and black communities, said Flowers, and focusing on offering personal assistance to help people in those groups shop for coverage.
"We found that the principal way that African-American and Latino communities and the youth are enrolling is through in-person assistance," said Flowers. "We've found that those groups are twice as likely to enroll if they have an assister."
BlueCross also recognized the need for in-person assistance. Of the
This year, the company plans to boost its number of customer service representatives, and it has activated a mobile team to help with sign-ups across the state. The mobile is booked for every day through the next year, said Raynor.
The gap between English and Spanish speakers is not the only communication divide that navigators and brokers saw last year. Across the board, Enroll America found many people signing up for exchange plans last year didn't understand the language of insurance.
Many people's history with insurance is limited to an employer plan. Understanding the nuances of premiums, deductibles and co-payments is a new experience.
To fill the gap, the group is launching a statewide hotline and website where people can make an appointment with an assister.
The hotline will be especially helpful in rural areas, where outreach events are fewer and resources are scarce.
"There is a tremendous amount of interest in rural areas," said
The foundation has received federal grant money from the national nonprofit Seedco to expand its navigation efforts to 10 outlying counties.
Ridge and others say they expect fewer uninsured people will stay on the fence this year. The HealthCare.gov website should work better, they say. The penalty for being uninsured will more than triple. And this year, the noisy political rhetoric surrounding the issue has mostly quieted.
"We heard from a lot of young people that they didn't know if the law would even be around next year," said Raynor.
A measure of that uncertainty remains. Republicans are preparing to take control of the
BlueCross officials say the controversy does not affect their strategy moving forward.
"This is the law of the land," said BlueCross spokeswoman
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Source: | McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Wordcount: | 874 |
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