Working in the weeds of health policy, it’s easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of the health care law. And in the media, we are constantly bombarded with the aspects of the law that are most controversial or problematic. So sometimes we lose perspective (I know I do) as we seek perfection in the translating the law into policy and procedures that work well for children and families.
With 70 days to go until open enrollment, I tend to worry more about on what needs to get done rather than how far we’ve come. So I didn’t immediately check out the new and improved “HealthCare.gov” when it was re-launched a few weeks ago. But today, as I was thinking about what to write for Tech Tuesday, I decided to take break from the regulations and technical stuff and see what’s new at Healthcare.Gov. After all, the Internet and online services are expected to play a vital role in connecting consumers to coverage.
The refresh of the website was intended to better position it for its role as the entry point to health coverage for millions of uninsured Americans. And I must say, as I poked around the site, and checked out a few of the videos, I began to get excited for open enrollment. There’s a countdown calendar, great information, a screening tool, videos, a blog and more. I’m sorry I missed the first-ever Health Insurance Marketplace Hangout on July 10 but you can submit questions using the hashtag #HCgovHangout or visit HealthCare.gov on Google+ to learn more.
There’s more on the web to get excited about. The 16 states building state-based exchanges have launched their own websites. And we’re beginning to see details of the first marketing efforts emerge, including their first television ads. Here are links to a few for your viewing pleasure (some I like more than others):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVUJNEDpEkg
http://www.youtube.com/kynectky
http://www.youtube.com/user/AccessHealthCT
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9isnwv8ymnhgalf/Conn_CO_World_Series_dlb.mov
Other organizations are getting in on the action. Check out this video from the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. Or this one from Enroll America. I’m sure there are dozens if not hundreds more out there. For now, it’s time for me to crawl back into the policy weeds. But that was fun and an uplifting reminder of how far we’ve come and how close we are to making history.
[This blog is part of a Tech Tuesday blog series highlighting the important IT issues involved in making the benefits of the Affordable Care Act easier to access for consumers.]
