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Getting Into Gear for 2014: an Early Look at Branding and Marketing of New Health Insurance Marketplaces

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Getting Into Gear for 2014: an Early Look at Branding and Marketing of New Health Insurance Marketplaces September 2013 | Issue Brief Getting into Gear for 2014: An Early Look at Branding and Marketing of New Health Insurance Marketplaces As of September 2013, states and the federal government are on the eve of their October 1st launch of open enrollment for the new Health Insurance Marketplaces, where consumers will be able to shop for and purchase private coverage and potentially receive subsidies to lower the cost of that coverage. Achieving adequate enrollment through these Marketplaces will be important for fulfilling the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) goal of reducing the nation’s uninsured rate. Moreover, sufficient enrollment, particularly among young and healthy individuals, will be important for ensuring the financial sustainability of the Marketplaces over time. Recognizing the importance of enrollment, the federal government and the 17 states operating State-based Marketplaces have invested resources and conducted extensive consumer research to inform the branding and marketing campaigns for their Marketplaces. Based on a review of publicly available materials as of September 2013, this brief provides an examination of the Marketplace branding strategies, websites, and marketing materials, providing insight into how consumers will be introduced to the Marketplaces and some of the key messages and approaches the Marketplaces will utilize to encourage individuals to enroll. BACKGROUND The ACA seeks to reduce the number of uninsured through two key coverage expansions: the creation of new Health Insurance Marketplaces and an expansion in Medicaid eligibility. The Health Insurance Marketplaces will provide consumers with a choice of qualified health plans, offering similar benefits, so they can select the one that best meets their needs. Individuals with incomes between 100%-400% of the federal poverty level ($11,500 to $46,000 for an Figure 1 individual in 2013) may qualify for tax credits to lower Current Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions, as of September 16, 2013 the cost of the premiums and may also be eligible for WA VT ME MT2 cost sharing subsidies to reduce what they pay out of ND NH2 MN OR WI NY MA ID SD 1 pocket for care. The Medicaid expansion will extend MI CT RI WY PA1 IA1 NJ NE OH DE eligibility to adults with incomes below 139% of the NV IL IN MD UT WV VA CO DC CA KS MO KY NC federal poverty level ($15,856 for an individual in TN1 OK AR1 SC AZ NM 2013). However, the Supreme Court ruling on the ACA MS AL GA LA AK TX effectively made the Medicaid expansion optional for FL2 HI states, and as of September 16, 2013, 26 states are Moving Forward at this Time (26 States including DC) Debate Ongoing (3 States) moving forward with the expansion, 22 states are not Not Moving Forward at this Time (22 States) moving forward, and debate is ongoing in 3 states SOURCES: Based on KCMU analysis of recent news reports, executive activity and legislative activity in states. Data reported here are as of September 16, 2013 (Figure 1). In states that do not expand Medicaid, poor adults will continue to face a coverage gap because adults with incomes below 100% of the poverty level will not be eligible for the premium subsidies for Marketplace coverage. In addition to these coverage expansions, the ACA establishes a new integrated enrollment process for coverage through the Marketplaces, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health insurance Program (CHIP). This process will allow consumers to apply for coverage through an online portal, by phone, via mail, or in person using a single, streamlined application. Moreover, technology will be utilized to reduce paperwork requirements and speed the eligibility determination process. While Marketplaces across states share some common attributes, how they look and function varies, reflecting different choices made by states. Nationwide, 17 states, including the District of Columbia, have established a State-based Marketplace, 7 states are operating their Marketplace in partnership with the federal government, and 27 states have defaulted to the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (Figure 2). With regard to branding and marketing of the Marketplaces, states running their own Marketplaces Figure 2 State Have Made Their Decisions for Creating Health are responsible for all functions, including designing Insurance Marketplaces the website, developing the Marketplace logo and WA VT ME ND MT NH MN OR NY MA tagline, and developing its outreach and marketing SD WI ID** MI RI CT WY PA IA NJ campaign. In contrast, the federal government is NE OH DE NV IL IN MD UT* WV VA CO DC responsible for all of these activities in the 27 states CA KS MO KY NC TN OK SC where the Federally-facilitated Marketplaces will AZ NM** AR MS AL GA TX LA operate. States and the federal government will AK FL share duties in Partnership Marketplaces, with the HI federal government responsible for branding the State-based Marketplace (17 states including DC) Partnership Marketplace (7 states) Marketplace and its website and the states Federally-facilitated Marketplace (27 states) * In Utah, the federal government will operate the individual exchange while the state will run the SHOP exchange. responsible for developing and implementing ** Idaho and New Mexico received approval to operate state-based marketplaces; however, due to time constraints, the states will rely on the federal government for the IT infrastructure, but will perform most other functions. outreach and marketing campaigns. Marketplaces are in different stages of readiness, particularly with website development and the development and implementation of marketing campaigns. The federal government and most states running their own Marketplaces unveiled their websites earlier this year and have begun to launch the initial phases of their marketing campaigns. However, some states got a late start establishing their Marketplaces and, as a result, are further behind. Idaho and New Mexico, in particular, will rely on the federal information technology infrastructure during the first year of operations and only recently selected vendors to assist with developing their marketing campaigns. In all states, enrollment will open for Marketplaces on October 1, 2013, with coverage becoming effective on January 1, 2014. This initial open enrollment period will last through the end of March 2014. In addition, the Medicaid expansion will become effective as of January 1, 2014 in states that expand Medicaid. Enrollment in Medicaid is not limited to the open enrollment period. Getting into Gear for 2014: An Early Look at Branding and Marketing of New Health Insurance Marketplaces 2 KEY FINDINGS As discussed in the key findings below, there are a number of important similarities and differences in how the Marketplaces are introducing themselves to consumers and their approaches to raising awareness and motivating individuals to enroll. BRANDING The name, logo, and tagline for each Health Insurance Marketplace will often be the first face of the Marketplace for consumers and, as such, will be key components to establish their brands and identities. As described below, State-based Marketplaces have taken a wide range of approaches in their names, logos, and taglines, although there are several common elements seen across a number of Marketplaces. Marketplace Names The federal Marketplace is simply named the “Health Insurance Marketplace.” It is also often referenced as “HealthCare.gov,” which will be the online portal for the Marketplace. Each State-based Marketplace has a unique name (Table 1). Only New Mexico uses the terms “insurance” and “exchange” in its name, “New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange;” however, 13 of the 17 use the term “health.” In terms of establishing a state- specific identify, 11 of the Marketplace names include the full state name, while the remaining 6 use the state abbreviation. The term “connect” and its variations, “connection” and “connector,” are also commonly used terms, found in six Marketplace names including the “Massachusetts Health Connector,” which pre-dates the ACA and, in large part, served as the model for the ACA Marketplaces. In addition, Kentucky’s Marketplace, “kynect,” uses a state-specific twist on the term, Table 1: Marketplace Names “connect.” Nevada and the District of Columbia use State Marketplace Name the related term “link.” Together, these names Federal Government Health Insurance Marketplace (HealthCare.gov) appear to highlight that the Marketplace will be the California Covered California place to connect or link to “health.” California and Colorado Connect for Health Colorado Connecticut Access Health CT Oregon took a somewhat different approach in their District of Columbia DC Health Link names, Covered California and Cover Oregon, Hawaii Hawai’i Health Connector Idaho Your Health Idaho which focus more on the Marketplaces’ goal of Kentucky kynect covering state residents. Still others focus on Maryland Maryland Health Connection integrating the state identity into a one-word Massachusetts Massachusetts Health Connector Minnesota MNsure Marketplace name, such as “MNsure.” Lastly, some Nevada Nevada Health Link of the names represent a more literal description of New Mexico New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange (NMHIX) New York NY State of Health Marketplace functionality such as the federal Oregon Cover Oregon “Health Insurance Marketplace” and the Rhode Island HealthSource RI Vermont Vermont Health Connect “Washington healthplanfinder.” Others like “Access Washington Washington Healthplanfinder Health CT” and “Maryland Health Connection” are more focused on goals for consumers. Getting into Gear for 2014: An Early Look at Branding and Marketing of New Health Insurance Marketplaces 3 Logos The federal Marketplace logo includes a stylized version of its name along with a small abstract design in blue and black. Blue is also one of the most common colors used in the State-based Marketplace logos. Other common colors include green and orange, with nearly all of the state Marketplaces using some variation of these colors (Figure 3). Three of the state Marketplace logos (Your Health Idaho, NY State of Health, and MNsure) include the state shape as part of the logo design.
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