Enroll America’s Communicator’s Guide: How to Message Get Covered, Stay Covered

Enroll America’s Communicator’s Guide:
How to Message Get Covered, Stay Covered
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Jessica Barba Brown, National Communications Director
Jonathan Shields, Director of Spokesperson Communications
Sara Little, Director of Content and Social Media
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EnrollAmerica.org | GetCoveredAmerica.org 10-27-2014
© 2014 Enroll America and Get Covered America
1

Agenda
2 © 2014 Enroll America and Get Covered America
EnrollAmerica.or g | GetCoveredAmerica.org 10-27-2014
I. Lessons Learned: What We
Know
Jessica Barba Brown (moderator), National
Communications Director, Enroll America
II. Our Core Message: Get
Covered, Stay Covered
Jonathan Shields, Director of Spokesperson
Communications, Enroll America
III. Effective Messaging in the
Digital Space
Sara Little, Director of Content and Social
Media, Enroll America
IV. Effective Messaging in the
Press
Jessica Barba Brown (moderator), National
Communications Director, Enroll America
V. Q&A Jessica, Sara, Jonathan

Interactive Poll
How do you message enrollment?
• Website and email
• Local media
• Newsletters and internal communication
• Social media
• Word of mouth

I. WHAT WE KNOW HEADING INTO OE2
Jessica Barba Brown, Enroll America
October 27, 2014

What We Know

9%
18%
I can't afford insurance
I don't want Obamacare
I didn't think I was eligible
It was too confusing
I am waiting to get insurance through a job
I don't need insurance
I heard bad stories in the news
4%
7%
11%
15%
20%
48%
Website was broken
Source: PerryUndem for Enroll America, April 2014
It’s Affordability, Stupid!
[Of those who did not enroll] What are the most
important reasons you didn’t look for insurance?

Knowledge is Power
Knowledge Differences between the Newly Enrolled and Those Who Did Not Enroll
Newly
Enrolled
Did Not
Enroll
Knew the law gives financial help/tax subsidies to low- and moderate-income
Americans
56% 26%
Knew that there is free in-person help with signing up for health
insurance
43% 28%
Knew that the health law required plans to cover preventive care free 41% 24%
Knew that health plans cannot deny people coverage based on pre-existing
conditions
67% 42%
Knew the health law says most people have to pay a fine if they do
not get insurance
84% 69%

[Of the newly enrolled] Are any of these reasons
why you decided to sign up for health insurance?
8%
15%
19%
24%
23%
36%
35%
It's the law
To go to my doctor
I didn't want to pay the fine
I was worried about big medical bills
I was worried about getting sick
To get my medications
I wanted insurance for my family
I qualified for Medicaid
I have a chronic condition
I could afford a plan
I got a tax subsidy/financial help
I wanted dental care
I was already in medical debt
7%
13%
19%
23%
26%
30%
34%
Family and friends
The Carrots, The Sticks

The Remaining Uninsured
Who are they?
• Hard-to-reach
• Distracted
• Skeptical
• Cost-Conscious

The Newly Enrolled
• Have mixed feelings
about their plans, but
thankful for coverage
• Interested in shopping
around
• Not yet thinking about
renewing
• Need to know about
changing financial help

Get Covered. Stay Covered.

II. OUR MESSAGING MISSION:
GET COVERED, STAY
COVERED
Jonathan Shields, Enroll America
October 27, 2014

Step One
Lay Out the Facts
Clear up the misconceptions.
• Everyone wants the certainty that comes with
health coverage, but too often misconceptions
about cost and what is covered get in the way.
• The reality is that financial help and
comprehensive coverage means health
insurance is finally affordable and within reach.

Step One
Lay Out the Facts
Their Question Your Response
What do you mean
Get Covered?
The Health Insurance Marketplace is a new way to find
health insurance. It offers quality health plans and financial
help to help pay for the cost of your health insurance.
Having health insurance means that if you or a family
member gets sick, you won’t have to worry about big
medical bills or going bankrupt.
Can I afford it? For the first time ever, financial help is available to help pay
for the cost of insurance.
In fact, 85% of those who have already signed up in the
Marketplace qualified for financial help, and most Americans
are finding plans for $100 a month or less.

Step One
Lay Out the Facts
T heir Question Your Response
What will it cover? All plans offered through the Marketplace must cover the important
benefits, including doctor visits, hospitalizations, maternity care,
emergency room visits, prescriptions and more.
All plans cover free preventive care with no co-pay. This means free
cancer screenings, checkups, and more.
I’m healthy. Why do I need it? No one plans to get sick or injured, but when the unexpected occurs,
you want to know that you and your family are covered.
Medical debt is the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the U.S.
If you do not secure coverage for 2015, you may have to pay a fine:
$325 or 2% of your income, whichever is more.
What if I’m denied coverage? No one can be turned down or charged more for coverage because
they are sick or have a pre-existing condition like asthma, diabetes or
even cancer.

Step Two
Convince Them of Affordability
• Now there are low-cost health insurance options
available, and you can get help paying for the
cost of your insurance.
• The majority of Americans who are signing up or
renewing their health coverage can get a plan for
$100 per month or less.
• In fact, 8 in 10 who signed up in the Marketplace
received financial help for their new coverage.

Step Two
Make Financial Help Real
• “Financial help is here” isn’t enough
anymore: they need proof
• What does work:
• Localize it
• Compare it to other bills
• Tell a story from your state

Step Three
How, When, Where to Sign Up
• Resources are available that make signing up for
coverage easier.
• Enrollment takes place between November 15,
2014 – February 15, 2015
• You can get free, in-person help to guide you
through your options
• Visit GetCoveredAmerica.org

Our Approach
What’s Staying the Same What’s Changing
Leading with financial help Get more specific with
financial help, tell a story
Promoting help with the
process Emphasizing in-person help
Get Covered Stay Covered

Our Approach
Leading with security, peace
of mind
Giving details of the fine to
“close the deal”
“New” way to shop for health
insurance
“New” plans may be
available

Latinos & African Americans
Challenges Solutions
Less Insurance Experience
Local Help
Confusing Process
Unclear Eligibility
Lay Out the Facts
Late Action
Motivation
Financial Help
Cost

Young Adults
Challenges Solutions
Eligibility
Mom & the Fine
“…but I’m healthy”
Costs
Affordability
What’s covered?

On Renewals

III. EFFECTIVE MESSAGING IN
THE DIGITAL SPACE
Sara Little, Enroll America
October 27, 2014

What We Know
The same messages are
important in the digital space:
• Affordability & financial help
• Local application help
• The deadline
• The fine

What We Know
• More touch points = more
likely to enroll
• Social media and email are
a great way to continue the
conversation

Keep It Short & Sweet
• Emails–100 words or less
• Clear, simple language
• Avoid from industry
jargon when possible

Digital Messaging
Affordability & Financial Help
• Find different ways to package the same
message
• Pam in Pennsylvania got covered for
$9.43 a month
• Give consumers a way to find out their
personalized financial help estimate
• Avoid: Sales-y, gimmicky language;
“savings”

Digital Messaging
Local Help
• 60% of those who enrolled in
OE1 did so with in-person help
• Phrase “local help” has tested
better than “expert”
• Give consumers a way to find
local help in their community

Digital Messaging
The Fine
• Good motivator for those who
may be putting it off
• “Fine” performed better than
“fee” or “penalty” in tests
• Details of the fine were not
necessary in OE1, but that
could change since it’s more
this year

IV. EFFECTIVE MESSAGING IN
THE PRESS
Jessica Barba Brown, Enroll America
October 27, 2014

Why Press Matters
Where have you been getting information about the new
health insurance options including HealthCare.gov?
Enrolled Uninsured
[VALUE]%
18%
36%
21%
44%
16%
23%
21%
News Advertisements Website/online searches Friends and family

Why Press Matters
What has been your main news source on this issue?
Enrolled Uninsured
[VALUE]%
[VALUE]%
9%
[VALUE]%
19%
[VALUE]%
27%
4% 4%
[VALUE]%
Local TV National/Cable TV Print Radio Online

Tools of the Trade
• Press Releases
• Letters to the Editor
• Op-Eds
• Photo Ops
• Media Interviews
• Desk-Side Briefings
• Press Conferences
• Editorial Boards

Press Opportunities
Things to Remember…
Ø Contact the media with purpose
Ø Emphasize the local
Ø Be direct and be brief
Ø Be ready: prep spokespeople, gather
materials
Ø Create your own media: photos/video,
social media
Ø Follow up before, during, after
Every press opportunity is a messaging
opportunity.

Press Opportunities
Around Your Work….
• Enrollment events
• Outreach events
• Consumers helped

Press Opportunities
Responding to Concerns…
• HHS announcements
• Deadlines

Sound Bites
Enroll America bus tour promotes
health law in Dayton.
Online “Generally what we hear is people don't know if they are
eligible and they don't know how the program works, so
we start talking about what the eligibility looks like.”
State Director for Enroll America, Bill England
“A lot of people were not aware of the
financial assistance available.
Informing consumers about the
availability of financial assistance
was the single most important way to
motivate uninsured consumers to
enroll. Eighty-four percent of people
who enrolled qualified for financial
assistance.”
State Director for Enroll America, Justine Ceserano
“A lot of people have gotten financial assistance to pay
for their plans, but that’s something we know a lot of
people aren’t aware of. A lot of people are hesitant to
sign up for health insurance because they think they
can’t afford it.”
President of Enroll America, Anne Filipic

Power of Visuals

Final Product

Join the Communicators
Program!
www.EnrollAmerica.org/Communicators
- Weekly email messaging update
- Earned media best practices
- Localized messaging
resources
- Social media content

V. QUESTIONS?
Jessica Barba Brown, National Communications Director
Jonathan Shields, Director of Spokesperson Communications
Sara Little, Director of Content and Social Media

#Ready4OE2 Series
#Ready4OE2 Webinar
and Blog Series During
October!
Subscribe to Enroll America’s newsletter for
updates: http://www.enrollamerica.org/

Enroll America’s Communicator’s Guide: How to Message Get Covered, Stay Covered

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