Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From Quirky To Earnest, Pitches Target Millennials, Latinos, Southerners
NBC News: In The South, Obamacare Advocates Try To Outmaneuver Opponents
In Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and other states, there is intense organizing by coalitions of groups to sign people up for Obamacare, which started open enrollment on Nov. 15 for its second year. In some states, these efforts are led by openly liberal groups, such as the Texas Organizing Project, which is involved heavily in ACA promotion but also backed Democrat Wendy Davis’ unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign. (Bacon, 11/17)
The Hill: Illinois Health Officials Mocks Millennials With 'Luck' Insurance Ad
Illinois health officials are offering millennials a new insurance plan that promises no paperwork and no monthly premiums. But it also has “no real benefits” or “real care of any kind,” according to the new tongue-in-cheek ad from “Get Covered Illinois.” The 30-second ad promotes a healthcare plan called “Luck” and features 20- and 30-somethings wearing casts, neck braces and eyepatches made of cardboard and masking tape. The plan’s logo is crossed fingers and its slogan is “You’ll be okay, probably.” (Ferris, 11/17)
The Miami Herald: U.S. Health Boss: Florida At Crossroads For Obamacare Signup
Florida will play a crucial role in national efforts to sign people up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said Monday during an appearance at Florida International University. “Florida actually has a very large uninsured population and so it’s a place where many of the people we're trying to reach are. In addition, though, Florida led the nation in terms of those enrolling in the federal marketplace last year,” Burwell said during a panel discussion with local healthcare advocates and nonprofit groups at FIU’s College of Law in West Miami-Dade. Nearly a million Floridians signed up for coverage in 2014. Enrollment for 2015 coverage began Saturday. (Nehamas, 11/17)
Georgia Health News: Exchange Workers Put Priority On Latino Outreach
Georgia’s Latino/Hispanic population, which was small for most of the state’s history, has grown strongly and steadily since about 1990. They now constitute about 8 percent of the state’s population, but they account for 17 percent of the uninsured in Georgia. (Miller, 11/17)
Kansas Health Institute News Service: Kansas Consumers Have More ACA Enrollment Options
Sherry Calderwood wishes she could turn back the clock. Last fall, she and her husband decided not to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace because it cost too much. The 45-year-old waitress, who banters with legislators and lobbyists at a popular Topeka breakfast spot just a few blocks from the Kansas Statehouse, had gotten by for years without coverage and thought her luck would hold. It didn’t. Sapped of energy and bruised from head to toe, she recently went to the doctor and was given a preliminary diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, an autoimmune disease that thins the blood and in extreme cases causes internal bleeding. Thousands of dollars in tests and hospital stays later, doctors still haven’t pinned down the reason for Calderwood’s condition. Before Obamacare, Calderwood’s diagnosis would have made it virtually impossible for her to get health insurance. (McLean, 11/17)
