Advocates to refine health enrollment message

When sign-ups begin in November, advocates and those giving enrollment assistance will use lessons from last fall to help attract new customers and help those re-enrolling. Also, several news outlets look at the challenges for consumers.

The Wall Street Journal: Health-Law Advocates To Tweak ACA Marketing Campaign For The Fall
The sales pitch for the health law is getting an overhaul for the fall. Supporters and advocates of the Affordable Care Act say they learned lessons from last year's sign-up effort, when they persuaded a few million uninsured people to buy coverage. ... In for this fall: testimonials from real people, more emphasis on deadlines, and an increased focus on in-person help. Out: No longer will ACA advocates steer clear of talking about the law's requirement that people either get health coverage or pay a penalty when they file their taxes (Radnofsky, 9/14). 

The New York Times: Renewing Health Coverage May Not Be As Automatic As Government Says 
Millions of consumers will soon receive notices from health insurance companies stating that their coverage is being automatically renewed for 2015, along with the financial assistance they received this year from the federal government. But consumer advocates and insurers say they see a significant potential for confusion because some of the information will be out of date and misleading on costs and other aspects of coverage. Some people who have been receiving monthly subsidy payments this year could get much less if they stay in their current health plans (Pear, 9/14). 

The Associated Press: Hurdles For Obama Health Law In 2nd Sign-Up Season
Potential complications await consumers as President Barack Obama's health care law approaches its second open enrollment season, just two months away. Don't expect a repeat of last year's website meltdown, but the new sign-up period could expose underlying problems with the law itself that are less easily fixed than a computer system. Getting those who signed up this year enrolled again for 2015 won't be as easy as it might seem. And the law's interaction between insurance and taxes looks like a sure-fire formula for confusion (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/14).

The Associated Press: Melding Health Overhaul And Taxes Gets Complicated 
President Barack Obama's health care law uses the tax system to subsidize coverage for the uninsured. Promoting social policy goals through the tax code is a time-honored strategy for both political parties. ... But melding insurance and taxes -- two of the most complicated topics for consumers -- won't be easy (9/14).