The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchanges succeeded in enrolling more than 7 million people during the 2014 open enrollment period, far exceeding the Congressional Budget Office expectation of 6 million.
Analysts have attributed the health insurance exchanges' unexpectedly high enrollment totals to marketing efforts by federal officials and advocacy groups, including President Obama's plug for HealthCare.gov on the popular FunnyorDie.com webseries "Between Two Ferns." The nonprofit Enroll
Some healthcare providers also pitched in to get people signed up for coverage through the PPACA marketplaces. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health — a nonprofit system of 15 medical centers and 1,123 physicians — launched various efforts to help enroll people in its service area, which spans North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia.
Bob Seehausen, Novant Health’s vice president of business development and sales, says the health system looked at its markets and saw "significant" uninsured rates, higher than 23 percent in most service areas.
"The [PPACA] is a highly politicized discussion, and we were concerned that the folks who would benefit the most from the implementation of the law didn't necessarily have a trusted place they could go to get straight answers," he says. "It's a tough market to navigate if you've not bought insurance before."
In order to make purchasing coverage through the exchanges easier, Novant Health held two series of events (one in the fall and one early this year). The system created a setting where community members could have one-on-one conversations with insurance brokers and financial navigators. Overall, Novant Health hosted 12 educational enrollment events, answered more than 700 calls about the marketplaces, gave 16 marketplace and healthcare reform presentations and sent out 158,900 letters and email blasts to self-pay and uninsured patients educating them about enrollment opportunities. The health system also created a microsite focused on the exchanges, among other efforts to encourage enrollment.
Novant Health's events saw a total turnout of more than 800 participants. "The stories from the individuals were pretty compelling, and some of them were pretty heartbreaking," Mr. Seehausen says. "We had people who hadn't had insurance in 20 years who walked out of the event with insurance. The reaction from the community was overwhelmingly positive."
As for why Novant Health put so much time and energy into getting people enrolled in health plans, Mr. Seehausen says it's simply about doing the right thing for the community. "We view it as our role to be the trusted agent and somebody who will help people get the best advice and information," he says. "We take that trusted agent role very seriously."
Novant Health is planning similar educational and promotional efforts for the 2015 open enrollment period (which begins this November) and encourages other health systems to follow its lead in helping members of the public understand their options. "People just want some clear answers," Mr. Seehausen says. "Who's better to do that than the health systems in the community?"
More Articles on PPACA Enrollment:
Poll: Higher Fines Increase Uninsured Americans' Likelihood of Getting Coverage
Census Changes Could Hinder Measurement of PPACA Impact
PPACA Exchange Enrollment Reaches 7.5M