#GetCovered Collaboration and Partnerships

Ed. note: This was originally published on the HHS Blog.

To reach more Americans across the country with important information for how to get health care coverage for 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced new public and private partnerships during the early weeks of Open Enrollment.
Last week, the department launched the first-of-its-kind partnership between HHS and the electronic cash transactions company PayNearMe to reach financially underserved and other cash-preferring consumers. During this year’s Open Enrollment period, all PayNearMe receipts printed at 7,800 7-Eleven stores nationwide will include a special announcement that informs consumers about upcoming Affordable Care Act deadlines and encourages them to explore beneficial options such as tax credits and newly available plans at HealthCare.gov. Putting these reminders at the bottom of PayNearMe receipts will help get health coverage information into the hands of traditionally hard-to-reach consumers.

To reach even more people, earlier this week HHS announced its collaboration with top technology platformsMonster.com, Peers.org and higi to utilize their technology platforms to encourage consumers to visit the Health Insurance Marketplace. These companies each reach a wide audience of consumers, and have committed to share enrollment information with their audiences. HHS is collaborating with Monster.com to provide content on open enrollment to job-seekers through their online platform. The Marketplace provides job-seekers without employer-sponsored insurance affordable, quality health insurance options. Posting information about open enrollment on Monster.com helps connect job-seekers with those coverage options while they seek new employment opportunities. Peers is the world's largest independent sharing economy community, whose mission is to make the sharing economy work for the people who power it. Peers supports sharing economy workers with Income Discovery and a Support Marketplace, to make the sharing economy a better work opportunity. Higi, a kiosk-based health engagement platform, has placed engaging Marketplace Open Enrollment messaging on the overhead screens of their interactive stations tracking key health vitals (eg: Blood Pressure, BMI, Weight, Body Fat, etc.) located in the Pharmacy area of 2,000 Kroger, 1,000 Super Valu/Albertson’s, and 250 Meijer stores nationally. The messaging was posted December 5 and will remain throughout Open Enrollment.

And today, HHS shared its most recent collaboration with the nation’s largest pharmacies to promote the Health Insurance Marketplace. Pharmacies are a trusted source of health information in communities and can provide information directly to consumers looking for quality and affordable health coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplace. Pharmacies including, Ahold USA Companies, Bi-Lo Holdings, CVS Health, H-E-B, Kroger, Meijer, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Walmart are playing an important role in providing this information to people across the country. Pharmacists have been trained to answer basic questions about the Marketplace, and they know where to direct customers for enrollment assistance throughHealthCare.gov, the call center, or through local in-person assistance. Special brochures, signage, circular advertisements, and other marketing materials have been and will be on display in many stores, providing consumers with information on health insurance and how to get enrolled. Many pharmacies have webpages dedicated to the Affordable Care Act and health insurance information. Pharmacy-based enrollment events are planned across the country and some pharmacies will have assisters available in stores to help enroll customers.

The work continues to help people sign up to get covered for 2015 – visit HealthCare.gov for more information.