Some states plan aggressive marketing of health exchanges

News outlets report on state implementation activities, including efforts by California and Oregon to promote new health insurance marketplaces, presentations made to New Hampshire's special commission weighing whether to expand Medicaid and a closed door meeting by Idaho exchange officials.

Sacramento Bee: California, Other States Prepare To Promote Health Insurance
Barns, crab-fishing boats and beach bonfires create the backdrop for Portland-based musician Matt Sheehy's performance of the Oregon health care exchange anthem, "Long Live Oregonians," in a recent ad. "We're free to be healthy / gonna breathe our fresh air / want to get the best care / that a state can get," Sheehy croons in the Cover Oregon spot that debuted in early July. With just a few months until state health care exchanges open to enrollment Oct. 1, Oregon and other states have begun elaborate marketing campaigns to promote their insurance marketplaces to consumers (Mantz, 7/24).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Virginia Near Bottom In Per Capita Spending To Promote Awareness Of Health Care Law
Only one state will spend less per capita than Virginia to promote public awareness of the new health care reform law. According to data compiled by The Associated Press from federal and state sources, the $3.9 million in outreach spending in Virginia amounts to 49 cents per resident. Only Wisconsin, at 46 cents, is spending less per capita (7/24).

The Associated Press: NH Officials: Expanding Medicaid Could Save $46M
New Hampshire health officials outlined Tuesday how the state could expand Medicaid to cover 49,000 more poor adults and still save $46 million over the next seven years. Department of Health and Human Services officials presented the details to a special commission weighing whether to recommend that lawmakers expand the Medicaid program under the federal health care overhaul law (Love, 7/23).

The Associated Press: Insurance Exchange Plans Extended Closed Meeting
The board overseeing Idaho's health insurance exchange plans a 3-hour, 40-minute meeting behind a downtown Boise law office's closed doors where citizens will be barred Thursday -; nearly twice as long as a public meeting scheduled later that day (Miller, 7/23).