Administration unveils campaign to enroll young adults in Marketplace coverage

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced the first in a series of new strategies to reach young adults and enroll them in coverage through the 2017 Health Insurance Marketplaces. Plans include an enhanced mobile interface for HealthCare.gov; social media campaign with partners, including the AHA; and advertising on the Twitch social video and gaming platform. CMS also will provide information to transitioning service members through the Department of Defense, and young adults aging out of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The announcement coincided with a White House summit on reaching and enrolling millennials. “More than 9 in 10 Marketplace-eligible young adults without health insurance have incomes that could qualify them for tax credits to make plans affordable, but that fact hasn’t fully penetrated the millennial community, and we want to change that,” said HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan. Open enrollment in the Marketplaces begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31. For coverage starting Jan. 1, consumers must sign up by Dec. 15.