Kicking off a 38-stop bus tour of hospitals, clinics and storefronts where Californians can enroll in affordable health insurance, Covered California began spotlighting iconic buildings and hundreds of enrollment locations across the state today.
"We are 'putting a spotlight on enrollment and coverage' and highlighting care being delivered across the state to Covered California enrollees," said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. "We want to make sure all uninsured Californians know that financial help is available to help people buy health insurance and that they can join thousands of Covered California consumers who are getting the care they need when they need it."
Starting this week, hundreds of buildings and storefront locations will feature spotlights that say "Enroll Now" over the Covered California logo to raise public awareness about the opportunity to get health coverage.
Additionally, many iconic buildings throughout California —the Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento city halls; the San Diego Convention Center; the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport; Coit Tower in San Francisco; and Sacramento's Tower Bridge — will light up with the Covered California colors for specific nights during the first weeks of November to bring additional attention to open enrollment. See www.CoveredCA.com/news/PDFs/Spotlight.pdf for information.
"We still need to raise awareness that open enrollment is a regular part of the new culture of coverage for our state and the nation," Lee said. "With research showing that more than a third of the uninsured don't know they can get subsidies to help them buy insurance, we need to step up our efforts and make sure we get the word out in every way we can."
New to the bus tour this year are events scheduled at five hospitals across California, to highlight data about medical treatments Covered California members are receiving.
"Since we opened our doors in 2014, patients have been getting critically important care — organ transplants, cancer treatment and surgeries that are improving and saving their lives," Lee said. "We are delivering on the promise of care in California, helping people get the vital treatment they need at premier hospitals across the state."
He added, "We need to remind those who are considering going without coverage that they are a diagnosis or an accident away from going broke or not getting the early intervention that can be life-saving."
Also on Friday, Covered California released new television ads that will begin airing on Monday, Nov. 2. The series of ads is part of a $29 million advertising campaign that will include new TV spots in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese aimed at promoting the value of health insurance and motivating uninsured Californians to enroll in health insurance through Covered California. The advertising campaign also includes radio, print, out-of-home, direct mail, digital and social ads for English-speaking Californians, as well as targeted efforts for the African-American; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender; Spanish-speaking; and Asian-speaking communities.
The first ad to launch is "Moments," which showcases a brief moment within the lives of everyday Californians. The ad, which was shot using a camera effect sweeping past the scene in three seconds, runs in slow motion, to draw in viewers and motivate them to explore health insurance through Covered California.
Additional ads for all targeted efforts will offer educational information about buying health insurance, such as the fact that four out of five who enrolled through Covered California got help paying for their health insurance and that dental coverage is now available for adults through Covered California.
"Some of the new ads drive home the message in a visually compelling way that health insurance is part of living a good life," Lee said, "while others highlight basic facts that educate consumers about Covered California in ways that will encourage them to enroll."
The ads can be found online at https://vimeo.com/coveredcalifornia.
Covered California's third historic open-enrollment period is aimed at reducing the number of uninsured in California. An estimated 2.2 million uninsured Californians are eligible to get financial help to make their insurance affordable by enrolling in Covered California or Medi-Cal.
Lee said the "Spotlight on Coverage" bus tour will continue through Nov. 12, with 38 stops planned at hospitals, community clinics, enrollment locations and storefronts from San Diego to Eureka. This year, Covered California has more than 500 storefront locations statewide where individuals can get help enrolling — twice the number available at the start of last year's open enrollment — and thousands of additional locations where consumers can get help.
Those who need insurance can go to CoveredCA.com to learn about their options and to find locations in their community where they can get free, confidential help to enroll, or they can get help enrolling over the phone. Open enrollment begins Nov. 1 and goes through Jan. 31.
More than 2 million Californians have purchased health insurance through Covered California since the exchange began offering coverage in 2014.
Community health workers spread across the US, even in rural areas