The National Health Council's Communications Affinity Group hosted a webinar on Aug. 8, 2013, for patient advocacy organizations to unveil tools for educating people with chronic diseases and disabilities about essential health benefits and the open enrollment for state health exchanges.
National Health Council - Educating Patients about EHBs and State Exchanges
1. Communications Affinity Group
August 8, 2013
Tamara Ruggiero
Vice President, Communications and Marketing
American Kidney Fund
and
Chair, Communications Affinity Group
3. An Update on NHC’s Exchange
Enrollment Outreach
Kelly Brantley
August 8, 2013
4. 4
Training and Education
Through education, NHC will lay a foundation for VHAs on
insurance marketplaces and Medicaid expansion
1
Patient Advocacy Tools
Electronic tools will help advocates assist patients through
implementation activities
2
Key Messages
Key messages will launch each month and build off messages
tested by national partners
3
NHC Is Assisting Members with Health Reform Activities through
Three Main Sets of Tasks
5. Training and Education Will Be the Basis to Help VHAs Help
Patients
● Two webinars to ready the VHAs for upcoming health insurance marketplaces and
Medicaid expansion
o Target audience of federal and state staff of VHA member organizations
● July 17th
webinar focused on status of implementation in states, consumer outreach
and enrollment activities, and the role of patient advocacy organizations
o More than 100 participants
o Audience participation led to a follow-up Q&A resource
● Upcoming autumn webinar will address more details about specific plan availability,
assistance programs in operation, and methods for data collection to inform future
federal and state policy updates
5
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
6. Advocacy Tools Will Focus on the Patient Perspective
● Set of six tools will be developed and
distributed to offer information tailored to
the specific needs of the patient population
● Tools will include some customizable
resources that will allow co-branding of a
VHA with NHC
o Enrollment Assistance Programs for
the Health Insurance Exchanges
● Two infographics will complement the set of
materials, offering a graphic approach to
displaying complicated information
6
PATIENT ADVOCACY TOOLS
7. Key Messages Will Focus on Themes That Resonate Most with
Patients
● National partners have identified and tested sets of messages that resonate most for
the population of individuals who will be eligible to enroll in exchanges
● At regular intervals, NHC will roll out a new key message to its members, including a
patient advocacy tool, email blast text, and social media suggestions related to the
message
● Examples of key messages could include
o There will be new, affordable insurance options available for people without insurance.
o All insurance plans will have to cover doctor visits, hospitalizations, maternity care, emergency
room care, and prescriptions.
o Help will be available online, by phone, and in person to find the plan that works best for you.
o Financial help is available so you can find a plan that fits your budget.
o If you have a pre-existing condition, insurance plans cannot deny you coverage.
7
KEY MESSAGES
8. Enrollment Outreach Activities Will Continue through the Open
Enrollment Period
● TRAINING AND EDUCATION
o July webinar recording linked on NHC’s website
o One additional webinar, held in early autumn
● PATIENT ADVOCACY TOOLS
o Enrollment Assistance Programs for the Health Insurance Exchanges
o Three additional customizable tools
o Two infographics
● KEY MESSAGES
o Six messages delivered regularly with associated communications materials
8
NHC WILL DEVELOP AND DELIVER THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL MATERIALS TO MEMBERS
9. Choosing the Health Plan that’sChoosing the Health Plan that’s
Right for You!Right for You!
Michelle Rice
Director of Public Policy
National Hemophilia Foundation
Michelle Rice, Director of Public PolicyMichelle Rice, Director of Public Policy
10. It’s up to you!
• Choosing the best insurance for you involves
planning ahead and researching
• Take time to do this: it’s important!
• It’s your responsibility to make good choices
11. Personal Health Insurance Toolkit
• Health Plan Comparison Guide
• Health Plan Cost Comparison
Worksheet
• Glossary of Healthcare Terms
• Personal Health Experience Stat
Sheet
• Workshop on How to Choose a Plan
12. Health Plan Comparison Guide
• Cost vs. benefits
• Monthly/annual premium?
• Total out of pocket costs
• Services I need covered?
• My physicians covered?
• Annual limits?
• Out of network benefits?
Selecting a New Plan
13. Health Plan Cost Comparison Worksheet
• Plan Name
• Annual Premium
• Financials
• Major Medical
• Pharmacy Benefit
• Emergency Care
• Mental Health
14. Getting Started
Step 1: Get some
baseline stats
• How many times in
the past year have
I…..?
15. Getting Started
Step 2: Glossary
Step 3: Collect from HR:
• Benefit Summary
• Drug Formulary
• Provider Network
Booklet
Step 4: Health Plan
Comparison Chart
16. The American Heart Association’s
Role in Achieving Coverage for All
Americans
Stephanie Mohl, AHA/ASA Senior Government Relations Advisor
August 8, 2013
17. 17
Major Sources of Information
about Reform Law
For Uninsured
Sources: Enroll America, “Informing Enroll America’s Campaign: Findings from a National Study;” January 2013.
Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll, April, 2013.
• 78% unaware of new coverage options
•32% Friends, family
•28% Newspapers, radio, online
•21% Cable TV
• 7% Doctor
• 5% Non-profit or community organizations
18. Copyright - AHA Confidential &
Proprietary
18
Overall AHA Strategies
• Preparing National Service Center
• Training all AHA staff
• Tele-Town Hall meetings for AHA volunteers
• Targeted webinars for African-American, Hispanic
volunteer Ambassadors
• New website content
• Articles in AHA newsletters
• Info at consumer events
(Heart Walks, etc.)
19. Copyright - AHA Confidential &
Proprietary
19
AHA Resources
General Health Insurance Info:
http://www.heart.org/healthinsurance
20. Copyright - AHA Confidential &
Proprietary
20
AHA Resources
Hearts for Healthcare: http://www.heartsforhealthcare
22. Established VHO in 1945, evolved into nationwide
network of chapters by 1980s
Increasing focus on health insurance programming and
advocacy since 2000s
• National Call Center in place since late 1990s, health insurance
specialists since 2006
• Survey data of insurance status, source of coverage of ~1000
people with MS
• Template appeals letters and toolkit since 2004
• Active engagement in ACA implementation starting with ‘Principles
for Healthcare Reform’ endorsed by Board in 2007
23. Preparation for Exchanges and Market Reforms
Shift in emphasis from Implementation to Outreach & Education
• Society publications, English and Spanish
• Offer webinars/teleconferences in collaboration with Chapters
• ‘Meeting in a Box’ -- Powerpoint with talk points suitable for
clients, staff, volunteers, committee discussion
• Dedicated website with links to Healthcare.gov and more
• Fact Sheets – short and MS-specific
• Provide scenarios of people w/ MS impacted by ACA for media
prep, story telling, suggested blogposts, other social media
• Training and prep for Call Center staff – Navigator? Certified
Application Counselor?
31. Reminders
• September 11 – next NHC webinar on educating
patients about EHBs and exchange enrollment
• Tentative: November 13 – next Communications
Affinity Group meeting
• Opportunities to share your organization’s message on
WebMD
A Different Normal
WebMD Answers
32. Thank You for Participating!
Tamara Ruggiero
Vice President, Communications and Marketing
American Kidney Fund
and
Chair, Communications Affinity Group
Notas del editor
The National Hemophilia Foundation’s has designed a Personal Health Insurance Toolkit to provide you with information and resources that you will need to help make the best possible choices when selecting a health insurance plan. Some information that is contained in this toolkit are: The Health Plan Comparison Guide The Health Plan Cost Comparison Worksheet Glossary of Healthcare Terms A Personal Health Experience Stat Sheet, and A workbook attached on how to choose a plan We will introduce and discuss briefly each document and provide a copy for review. On NHF website: http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/MainPgs/MainNHF.aspx?menuid=117&contentid=1894
In attempting to determine your health plan needs that is most appropriate can be a difficult process. And you may need to consider many options. Some questions to consider are: What is the monthly/annual premium? Sum of my total out of pocket costs? Are services that I need covered? Are my physicians covered? Are there annual limits? Are out of network benefits available? Now, lets look at what to look for when having a bleeding disorder. Found at: http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/Resource/StaticPages/menu0/menu4/menu306/HealthPlanComparisonGuide.pdf
Now one way to evaluate what each plan may cost you is by utilizing the Health Plan Cost Comparison Worksheet. Some of the categories that are included in this worksheet are; Plan Name, Annual Premiums, and Pharmacy Benefit just to name a few. This form works best when it is used with the Personal Health Experience Stat Sheet, the plan’s summary of benefits, and the drug formulary list that is provided in the workbook portion and will be put to practice during a workshop session. http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/Resource/StaticPages/menu0/menu4/menu306/HealthPlanCostComparisonWorksheet.pdf
So when looking at how to get started, according to this NHF Personal Health Insurance Toolkit, there are four easy steps to look at. The first step is completing the Personal Health Experience Stat Sheet. This sheet helps to identify and quantify the services used by you and your family in a 12 month period. Some of the questions that you can ask yourself are “in the past 12 months, how many times have I: Visited my primary physician? Seen by a specialist? Seen at my HTC? Admitted to the hospital? Visited an ER or urgent care? Purchased Rx? Required home healthcare services? http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/Resource/StaticPages/menu0/menu4/menu306/NHF_GlossaryHealthcareTerms.pdf
Read Slide as is. Now , NHF also provides a workbook and the opportunity to use this in a practical workshop setting where an example of a John Doe Personal Health Experience Stat Sheet is used. If you are interested in going through the actual workshop, please let me know and we can set up another time to go through the exercise. http://www.hemophilia.org/NHFWeb/Resource/StaticPages/menu0/menu4/menu306/PersonalHealthStatSheet.pdf
Stephanie As these statistics indicate, first, there is a tremendous need for education and outreach to the uninsured about the new rights and insurance options that are coming their way this fall. According to some research conducted by the organization Enroll America, fully 78% of the uninsured are unaware of the new Health Insurance Marketplaces opening in the fall. According to an April Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll, friends and family are the most common source of information about the health reform law currently, and the uninsured also view friends and family as one of their most important and trusted sources of info about the law. In other words, word of mouth will be a powerful way of educating the uninsured about the law. We believe going forward that media campaigns will help to raise awareness about the Marketplaces, but it will be conversations with trusted family, friends , or neighbors that will actually motivate individuals to take the step to go to the Marketplaces and apply. Therefore, AHA has developed a strategy for outreach that seeks to empower our staff and volunteers to serve as a resource for their family, friends, and others in their community who may need coverage information but don’t realize it.
STEPHANIE Here are some examples of the types of activities we are planning to help educate our staff and volunteers generally about some of the new insurance benefits and protections available to everyone, as well as about the new Marketplaces as an option for the uninsured. Strategy starts with our staff – training occurred in late July. Other public-facing activities will occur starting in September and October – this will coincide with the national TV/radio/print advertising that HHS and others will be conducting.