« July 2014 Issue

Introducing...On Message

Midway through the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, a survey by Enroll America unearthed a key finding: lack of awareness about financial assistance available under the law was the biggest impediment to enrollment among the uninsured.

These survey findings led to a major change in strategy as groups enrolling consumers shifted their emphasis to promoting financial assistance in their outreach, education and communications efforts. The strategy proved fruitful, as enrollment surged in the final months of open enrollment, overcoming earlier problems related to the website and far surpassing expectations.

This story illustrates the important role research plays in shaping communications strategies for advocacy campaigns. From national polls to help gauge public opinion or focus groups to test messages with target audiences, advocates have relied heavily on research to develop effective messaging and communications throughout passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. With the April launch of “On Message,” we have introduced a new effort to provide research and messaging support to the health advocacy community on the ACA and other emerging health issues.   

Led by the Community Catalyst communications team, On Message was born as a result of a merger with The Herndon Alliance (Herndon), a nationwide non-partisan coalition of minority, labor, advocacy, business and health care provider organizations, that had been started and led by Seattle physician Dr. Bob Crittenden. Herndon’s vision was to reframe the health care reform discussion from one that was policy driven to a conversation that was “values-based.” The goal was to help a larger portion of the population understand how reform could improve health care affordability and security in their own lives. Health advocates relied on Herndon for research and message guidance on everything from public opinion on the ACA to changes in the health care delivery system. Herndon also regularly convened national advocacy groups in Washington, DC to coordinate the work of member groups and align their communications strategies.

Crittenden left Herndon last year to become a Senior Health Advisor to Governor Jay Inslee in Washington. Following that transition, Herndon began a collaboration with Community Catalyst to carry out its work through the first ACA open enrollment period. During this time, we saw there was still a significant need for effective research-backed messaging and communications assistance around efforts to defend the law and promote positive outcomes. Health advocates also sought a forum through which they could come together to strategize.

On Message is continuing three major components of Herndon’s prior work. First, we are focusing on polling and research on emerging health care issues that are in need of communications strategy and message development and communications tools. Thanks to generous support from The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Missouri Foundation for Health, The California Endowment and another foundation that wishes to remain anonymous, we have developed a messaging narrative on the popular prevention coverage benefits available to new enrollees, hosted a webinar for state advocates to share prevention messaging, and conducted a radio tour in partnership with state advocates in six states that led to interviews that aired on 1,068 radio stations. On Message also partnered with Media Matters to hold the media accountable for its reporting in ten states, and we are working with the Center for American Progress to build a positive narrative around the ACA. Toward that end, we created “the ACA is working” messaging based on enrollment numbers, research pointing to number of people benefitting from specific provisions of the law and encouraging economic data to build a positive drumbeat about the impact of the law.

Second, On Message continues to host national convenings in Washington, DC of health advocacy groups to identify emerging issues and circulate research findings, messaging and communications tools. We have held three convenings to date, which have included presentations by pollsters Michael Perry of PerryUndem and Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners.

Third, we produce a daily “On Message” news summary of key articles to inform allies about the latest developments surrounding the Affordable Care Act and related health care issues, and to disseminate key messages and resources to nearly 2,000 health care opinion leaders.

Moving forward, our goal is to provide research and messaging support on health care issues beyond the ACA, and to ensure messages and materials support the work of national and state advocates, who often require a more tailored approach given the differences in the political and policy environments in which they operate.

We have big shoes to fill as we work to continue and build on the work of Herndon, but we have embraced this opportunity to provide critical communications assistance to the health reform movement, and look forward to the challenges ahead.

Kathy Melley, Director of Communications and On Message

O N   T H E   W I R E

Health Care Advocacy is on the Move! Longtime collaborators Community Catalyst, Health Care for All and Health Law Advocates are moving to new office space. After September 20, you can find us at One Federal Street in downtown Boston. We want to offer our thanks and appreciation to Attorney Diane McDermott who negotiated the lease for our new space pro bono. Diane is a partner at Holland & Knight's Boston office and a member of the firm's Real Estate Practice. Thanks to Diane for her work on our behalf. Stay tuned for more news about the move in upcoming editions.

Community Catalyst Executive Director Robert Restuccia and former President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, Inc., John O’Brien, write in Health Affairs that the ACA provides hospitals and communities with an important opportunity to come together to build a more sustainable health system.

Our new report, “Connecting Consumers to Coverage: Mobilizing for Enrollment,” shares the story of the unique and important role state consumer health advocates played in helping 12 million consumers gain coverage during the first Affordable Care Act open enrollment period.

As coverage rates improve and the ACA is fully implemented, what’s next in health care? Read our new blog series, Better Bang for the Buck, that looks at the interrelated issues of health care costs and quality from a consumer point of view.

Community Catalyst Senior Policy Analyst, Christine Barber, explains in POLITICO how even people who are aware that financial assistance is part of the ACA don’t always realize that they may qualify and benefit from the law.

Boston led the way in June in offering coverage for transgender health care services and the state of Massachusetts quickly followed suit. Community Catalyst is proud to have worked with state and local advocates in promoting these policy changes to ensure that transgender city employees receive comprehensive benefits that cover all of their health needs. Read our blog post here.

Join us in welcoming our new staff members: Tera Bianchi, Ashley Blackburn, Amanda McIntosh, Gabrielle Novello, Nell O'Connell, Melissa Ough, Jessicah Pierre, Emily Polk, Amanda Ptashkin, and Rachelle Rubinow.

Media Contact

Jack Cardinal
Deputy Director of Communications
617-275-2923 
jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org

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