CMS unveils more Marketplace open enrollment strategies

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released more details about its outreach strategy for enrollment in the 2017 Health Insurance Marketplaces. Plans include reaching more consumers by mail and email, including the recently uninsured and those who sought coverage in the past through Healthcare.gov or a state Medicaid program. Messages will remind consumers about their eligibility for financial assistance, encourage returning consumers to review their options, and focus on deadlines and the penalty for going without coverage, CMS said. The agency also plans to advertise and promote the Marketplaces on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, and to increase television advertising in the week leading up to Dec. 15. 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.