Conn. foundations helping to finance health enrollment push

This initiative will supplement the state health insurance marketplace's official sign-up effort. In Illinois, officials gear up for the second year of enrollment but expect signing up new beneficiaries will be harder this time.

CT Mirror: Foundations Chip In To Help People Sign Up For Obamacare
Three foundations plan to pay for about 35 people to conduct "shoe leather" outreach to help Connecticut residents sign up for health care coverage during the second round of open enrollment under Obamacare, which begins Nov. 15. The workers are intended to supplement a sign-up effort by the state's health insurance exchange, Access Health CT, that critics worry won't be enough to reach the remaining uninsured (Levin Becker, 10/7). 

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Prepares For Second Round Of Obamacare
Another chance to get insurance under the federal health law is coming, but Illinois officials aren't expecting people who didn't sign up last year to jump at the prospect this time. The Affordable Care Act's first open enrollment period drew what officials call the "low-hanging fruit" of the uninsured population: the sick and those who knew the law requires everyone to have insurance. This year, the state is targeting people who often need a thorough explanation and several face-to-face meetings to understand their options. With a shorter enrollment period and a stiffer penalty for going without insurance this time, the state is intensifying its efforts to get the enrollment message out (Venteicher, 10/6).