Covered California just announced they received another grant for more marketing of their health plans. In the words of one of the Covered California Board members, Paul Fearer, “I’m concerned about ramping up on media if we aren’t fully prepared to deal or provide excellent customer service in response.” Covered California needs to scrap the slick marketing and “one touch and done” concept to enrollment and open up walk-in enrollment centers to service Californian residents.
Walk-in enrollment like tax preparation
Every year from February to April 15th tax service centers pop-up in strip malls across the country to help people file their taxes. This is the approach that Covered California needs to adopt; they need to open numerous brick and mortar enrollment centers across the state. Even with the announcement that Covered California is hiring additional call center staff there are still scores of families that want to enroll with in-person assistance.
Phone support is limited for complex situations
Covered California has sullied their reputation for providing decent customer service by long telephone wait times exacerbated by confusing eligibility letters and requests for documents that have already been uploaded by the applicants. Add to this that the remaining population Covered California hopes to enroll in the new ACA health plans, the Spanish speaking and immigrant communities who are inherently skeptical about government, computers, and websites, really need and want to talk to a real person. Hence, Covered California needs to lead on the approach that has failed to materialize from their in-person assistance programs and open a shop on Main Street.
People want to see a live person
Every enrollment event I’ve attended that has been well publicized has been a success. The complexity of applying for health insurance through Covered California, the health plans, Medi-Cal, immigration status, and income questions overwhelm even the best trained and seasoned ACA professional. The enrollment process is further complicated when English is a second language. Families need a one-stop shop where they can bring all their questions and documents for review.
Language barriers hinder telephone support
I’ve enrolled families where the primary spoken language of the applicants was either Spanish, Vietnamese or Mandarin. While I don’t speak any of those languages, a family interpreter enabled us to sit down and complete the application with the understanding of which documents the family needed to supply for eligibility verification such as pay stubs and naturalization certificates. This sort of one-on-one assistance is impossible over the phone. It also underscores Covered California’s disastrous concept of “one touch and done” when the primary target for enrollment are immigrant communities.
Where has the money gone?
It’s unfortunate that all the organizations awarded millions of dollars in outreach, education and enrollment funds can’t consistently make person to person enrollment a reality. Some of the best enrollment events have been organized by folks outside of the circle of Covered California grant money. I’ve heard numerous complaints about onerous Covered California reporting requirements, turf wars between organizations, and the internal bureaucracy of these non-profits stifling real enrollment outreach to underserved communities.
How will new marketing money be spent?
Of course, all these organizations, Certified Enrollment Counselors and Certified Insurance Agents have to work against the muddled marketing image and customer service issues created by Covered California. But have no fear of the future because Covered California secured an additional $155 million grant for more marketing. Let’s hope they don’t continue down the path of trying to brand Covered California like some trendy consumer product but actually educate Californians about the health insurance exchange.
Board member questions additional marketing
In public comments at the last Covered California Board meeting, member Paul Fearer openly questioned the wisdom of spending more marketing money when previous efforts have fallen short to boost enrollment in the Spanish speaking communities.
Covered California facilitates tax credits
Covered California doesn’t sell health insurance like they have led the public to believe. Their main purpose is to determine a family’s eligibility for Advance Premium Tax Credits to reduce the monthly health insurance premium purchased from the health plan of the consumer’s choice. Covered California’s biggest failure is not working closely enough with the health insurance companies to ensure a smooth transition between applying through the exchange and the actual enrollment on the carrier side.
Less marketing hype, more assistance
It’s great that Covered California wants to reduce health disparities and improve the quality of care of California residents by offering qualified health plans through the exchange. But first, they need to define what they actually do and spend more time helping families enroll. They need to drop the marketing hype and either open up walk-in enrollment centers or work with their non-profit partners to organize more in-person enrollment events.
Real in-person assistance is needed
Covered California’s low enrollment numbers in the Spanish speaking communities is a direct result of creating an enrollment system that best serves the educated middle class of California. They have been utterly blind to the fact that most California’s don’t use computers in their daily lives or have the time to research all the rules and regulations of the Affordable Care Act. Covered California will be successful in enrolling more people when they mirror the walk-in tax preparation centers that assist families with filing their their taxes.
Press release on Covered California additional marketing grant
| Jan. 23, 2014 |
COVERED CALIFORNIA RECEIVES FEDERAL GRANT TO CONTINUE WORK OF EXPANDING HEALTH CARE ACCESS
Supplemental Funding Follows State Exchange’s Strong Showing
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a successful launch that enrolled nearly a half-million Californians in health insurance plans, Covered California received additional federal funding this week to expand and enhance the work of providing affordable health care coverage.
The $155 million grant will primarily target outreach and marketing, enrollment assistance, staffing and technology for the state health benefit exchange in 2014.
“California became the first state to pass legislation establishing a state health insurance exchange in 2010, and since then we’ve been working to be sure all Californians benefit from the Affordable Care Act,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “Covered California created a new marketplace, including an online enrollment portal, put in place federal health care reform regulations and signed up hundreds of thousands of people, all with the support of federal funding. The new grant will help us continue our mission, so residents can have the peace of mind and security that comes with health coverage for many years to come.”
Covered California received previous federal grants totaling about $910 million for planning and development of the exchange. The new funding, called a supplemental grant, will go toward sustaining and extending these programs.
“We recognize that California is seen as a model exchange, and a leader in this new culture of coverage,” Lee said. “The grant is a testament to our hard work and to the vision of the federal Affordable Care Act to provide health care access to millions, through our private insurance plans and our partnership with the state’s Medi-Cal program.”
The funds will allow Covered California to build on the momentum generated in the past year and zero in on areas that need additional resources, including expanded marketing and outreach activities, especially aimed at young adults and uninsured Hispanics. The grant will also be used to bolster the small-group employer market; build more robust data analysis; support health plan renewal; hire and train staff in enrollment assistance, communications and consumer protection areas; and augment existing enrollment system technology to improve the consumer experience and to keep up with emerging state and federal requirements.
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