“That SBMs don’t message about shopping the way the FFM does and, even if they do, don’t do it with the frequency and aggressiveness as healthcare.gov.”
I have some additional anecdotal support for this theory. I'm a longtime volunteer for ACA enrollment outreach here in California, and I spent a few years personally on Covered CA plans. I've generally thought of Covered CA as a pretty active exchange when it comes to outreach. And they certainly are in the general sense! They are well plugged into the network of agents/enrollers across the state, they provided (especially in the early years) great data on where to find the uninsured to get covered, and they always put out good collateral for enrollers to use. Of course they also do quite a lot of paid media, especially during Open Enrollment.
But the specific message of "hey everyone, do some shopping every year!!" is NOT something they push a lot. I looked back at the email blasts I've gotten from them over the years, and there were only a few encouraging shopping. Being in an SBM state, I didn't realize that healthcare.gov pushes this message much more aggressively. But I suspect that makes a real difference! People are busy and hear a lot of stuff, so if you want something to break through, repetition is important. The FFM apparently has figured out some best practices for their email marketing that the SBMs could benefit from.
Michael, thanks for relaying your experience. Re this thread (https://twitter.com/SheronESidbury/status/1650833715738574851?s=20) in response from a Maryland broker, asserting that pre-OEP posting of next year's plan offerings in SBMs makes auto re-enrollment more feasible: my memory is that Covered CA also posts plans prior to OEP, maybe Oct. 15., enabling earlier decisions. Is that right? -- or are next-year plan postings available even earlier, say, Oct. 1 as in Maryland? Has this affected your experience at all? Thoughts appreciated.
Yes - Covered CA posts plans in mid-October and opens up a window for current enrollees to renew coverage even before the OEP starts. They send out letters and emails about this to their current members, and a lot of enrollers do the same for the people they worked with in the prior year.
The thinking might be that if people are happy with their network, metal tier, and financial aid, auto re-enrollment is no problem- and if current enrollees are NOT happy they have ample notice and opportunity to make a change. I will say that one thing I've heard from enrollers over the years is people making changes when one of the networks is not doing well serving its members.
I wonder then about the response these notices solicit and elicit, and if it differs in the federal exchange. My perception has been that everyone is encouraged to log on and update their application, whether they switch plans or not. For HC.gov states, CMS tracks whether "Active" re-enrollees switch plan or not, and 42% of Active re-enrollees do not switch. It may be that in the SBMs, or some of them, messaging and/or early auto re-enrollment induces more people who don't want to switch to do nothing at all.
I would think a lot of people would need/want to update income or circumstance. But conversely, a lot don't need to.
“That SBMs don’t message about shopping the way the FFM does and, even if they do, don’t do it with the frequency and aggressiveness as healthcare.gov.”
I have some additional anecdotal support for this theory. I'm a longtime volunteer for ACA enrollment outreach here in California, and I spent a few years personally on Covered CA plans. I've generally thought of Covered CA as a pretty active exchange when it comes to outreach. And they certainly are in the general sense! They are well plugged into the network of agents/enrollers across the state, they provided (especially in the early years) great data on where to find the uninsured to get covered, and they always put out good collateral for enrollers to use. Of course they also do quite a lot of paid media, especially during Open Enrollment.
But the specific message of "hey everyone, do some shopping every year!!" is NOT something they push a lot. I looked back at the email blasts I've gotten from them over the years, and there were only a few encouraging shopping. Being in an SBM state, I didn't realize that healthcare.gov pushes this message much more aggressively. But I suspect that makes a real difference! People are busy and hear a lot of stuff, so if you want something to break through, repetition is important. The FFM apparently has figured out some best practices for their email marketing that the SBMs could benefit from.
Michael, thanks for relaying your experience. Re this thread (https://twitter.com/SheronESidbury/status/1650833715738574851?s=20) in response from a Maryland broker, asserting that pre-OEP posting of next year's plan offerings in SBMs makes auto re-enrollment more feasible: my memory is that Covered CA also posts plans prior to OEP, maybe Oct. 15., enabling earlier decisions. Is that right? -- or are next-year plan postings available even earlier, say, Oct. 1 as in Maryland? Has this affected your experience at all? Thoughts appreciated.
Yes - Covered CA posts plans in mid-October and opens up a window for current enrollees to renew coverage even before the OEP starts. They send out letters and emails about this to their current members, and a lot of enrollers do the same for the people they worked with in the prior year.
The thinking might be that if people are happy with their network, metal tier, and financial aid, auto re-enrollment is no problem- and if current enrollees are NOT happy they have ample notice and opportunity to make a change. I will say that one thing I've heard from enrollers over the years is people making changes when one of the networks is not doing well serving its members.
I wonder then about the response these notices solicit and elicit, and if it differs in the federal exchange. My perception has been that everyone is encouraged to log on and update their application, whether they switch plans or not. For HC.gov states, CMS tracks whether "Active" re-enrollees switch plan or not, and 42% of Active re-enrollees do not switch. It may be that in the SBMs, or some of them, messaging and/or early auto re-enrollment induces more people who don't want to switch to do nothing at all.
I would think a lot of people would need/want to update income or circumstance. But conversely, a lot don't need to.