Humana hopes that a group of animated characters named Sophie, Karen, Tom, Joe and Sally will help educate consumers who have never bought health insurance about the basics of health plans and insurance exchanges.
Florida Blue is opening additional retail stores to sell plans and provide nursing advice. Independence Blue Cross is running a healthcare reform game show on wheels.
As the Oct. 1 open enrollment on the state exchanges nears, many insurers are gearing up innovative educational and marketing efforts. Such efforts are particularly important in states such as Florida and Pennsylvania that are not running their own exchanges and aren't aggressively promoting the opportunities to sign up for subsidized coverage.
Marketing more directly to the retail public is a new direction for insurers, which previously focused their commercial insurance pitches at businesses and insurance brokers. They realize they now have to build customer loyalty, just like other companies selling consumer products and services. That has not been a hallmark of private U.S. health insurance up to now.
Insurers are particularly targeting young people, whose enrollment is essential for keeping exchange premiums down.
Rather than doing traditional brand marketing, most insurers are focusing on consumer education, addressing consumers' widespread ignorance about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its online marketplaces.
Dr. Roy Beveridge, Humana's chief medical officer, said that before individuals and small employer groups can begin to shop and compare plans on and off the exchanges, they need to understand more of the basics of health coverage, including what benefits are covered, deductibles, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums. He added that there's a lot of misunderstanding out there about the law and exchanges, which Humana is trying to clear up.
On Humana's website launched in August, Health Care for You, (humana.com/healthcareforyou) consumers can access a variety of articles, videos, slide shows and infographics to learn about healthcare reform and the exchanges. In addition, the Louisville, Ky.-based insurer is using animated characters to represent different consumer segments. The characters Joe and Sally are young adults who think they are “invincible,” Karen and Tom are baby boomers, and Sophie is a mother looking for family coverage.
Although Humana did not provide information on how much it is spending on their website campaign, in 2012, Humana spent almost $3.2 million on online advertising, more than double the $1.5 million it spent in 2011, according to Kantar Media, which tracks marketing spending.
Florida Blue has opened 14 “flagship” retail centers throughout the state and plans to open more centers by this fall in areas that have a high number of uninsured and low-income people, said Steve Snell, vice president of enterprise marketing for Florida Blue.
In May, the insurer began what Snell called a “soft education” campaign using videos posted online and on social media sites. The animated videos explain the exchanges and the federal premium subsidies. In August, the Blues plan launched its “Here for You” campaign, with TV, radio, newspaper and online ads to let people know Florida Blue is an option on the exchanges.
Independence Blue Cross, based in Philadelphia, is hitting the road to reach consumers directly. Last month, the insurer launched Independence Express, a 50-foot semitrailer offering Internet-enabled computers, expert advisers and even a game show to educate consumers about the reform law and the state exchange.
Health Care Service Corp., the parent company of five Blues plans, launched its “Be Covered” campaign in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas this year, including a website with resources for consumers who want to learn more about the exchanges.
This initial exchange plan kickoff likely will change the nature of health insurance marketing permanently, experts say. Kathleen Ellmore, vice president of consumer engagement at Silverlink Communications, Burlington, Mass., which works with insurers, said they must demonstrate to consumers that they aren't just payers but also are trusted health partners. She compares their challenge to how top tech companies have built consumer loyalty.
“Health plans in the next few years will become the Apple of healthcare,” she said.
Follow Jonathan Block on Twitter: @MHjblock
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