How to Stay Connected with the Health Insurance Marketplace
By Mark Bailey, Jr.
Published July 17, 2013
The Health Insurance Marketplace marketing machine looks to be kicking into high gear – and not a moment too soon. As we get closer to the October 1st open enrollment date, Americans will be searching for ways to learn as much as they can about the marketplaces. Here are 5 ways you can stay in touch with the Health Insurance Marketplace so that you’re not scrambling for information a few days before they open.
Sign up for email or text updates
Get updates in your inbox or on your mobile phone. This might be the best way to stay up-to-date as you’ll receive important updates to your email or phone as they happen. No need to visit your Twitter or Facebook feed to find how what’s going on with the marketplaces. I’ve signed up for this method of communication a few weeks ago and have found that they don’t overstep their bounds when it comes to email frequency – an important factor for me as I already receive TOO much email. I have yet to receive a text message from them, but I assume they’re holding on to that option for their high priority updates.
For those of you that are tech and social media savvy, you can get your updates about the Health Insurance Marketplace by following their account on Twitter.
Who doesn’t like having options? Soon, you’ll have more health insurance choices at http://t.co/1MVLQtMu72 pic.twitter.com/32ObKCInPe
— HealthCare.gov (@HealthCareGov) July 15, 2013
Twitter has always been the best way to get my questions for “big brands” answered because many companies are able to pay closer attention to their Twitter feeds because of what I call the “clutter factor.” Twitter famously limits its user’s tweets to 140 characters, which naturally makes communication a little bit more clear and concise than the other social media platforms. If you have a question or concern about your state’s marketplace, this would be the avenue to get it addressed. I’ve included an example of what I’m taking about below.
@NPWF @MomsRising Here are 5 ways to connect with the Health Insurance Marketplace: http://t.co/F2E5Xcpj1I #HCgovHangout
— HealthCare.gov (@HealthCareGov) July 11, 2013
Where Twitter’s strength is with 1-to-1 communication, I think Facebook is great for communicating and learning from a larger community. By taking a stroll up and down their wall, you really get a good feel for how people feel about the marketplaces and the questions or concerns they may have. Liking their Facebook page is a great place to start for people who may not want to make the commitment of giving out their email or phone number to receive updates out of the fear that they will be bombarded with information.
YouTube
It’s clear that CMS understands how important video content will be to rolling out this huge change in how the health insurance industry operates. They’ve been steadily building up their library with a mix of different content – from explainer videos to stories from people the ACA will benefit the most.
The Health Insurance Blog
Their blog isn’t a wealth of information, yet. I would expect them to start ramping up activity on their blog as we get closer to open enrollment on October 1st.
Mark Bailey, Jr. is the Senior Marketing Manager of NFP's Atlantic region. Before joining the company, Mark was a production assistant on the tv show Glee and an on-air talent on 95.1 WAPE. He has over 10 years of experience in the insurance and corporate benefits space. Mark is an avid Jacksonville Jaguars fan and loves to spend his free time building custom mechanical keyboards.
