Here we go again.
California’s state-run health insurance exchange, Covered California, is spearheading and apparently paying for most of a new campaign aimed at getting young adults to spread the word about enrolling in health insurance.
Along with partners including Enroll America, Covered California has reportedly enlisted the help of a host of celebrities like actors Fran Drescher and Kal Penn to promote the “Tell a Friend Get Covered” campaign.
California is where I call home. Now you can #GetCovered if you’re a resident. So hurry!
— Adam Levine (@adamlevine) December 12, 2013
The campaign kicked off today with a Snoop Dog parody video featuring President Barack Obama impersonator Iman Crosson (above). On January 16, the campaign will host an 8-hour live stream featuring celebrities telling stories, tips and information related to coverage options.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee told the LA Times the campaign is an opportunity to set straight some misconceptions about the benefits and drawbacks of healthcare reform for Millennials.
This isn’t the first time groups have used celebrities and flouncy tactics to encourage or dissuade young, healthy people from obtaining coverage through the exchanges. And it makes sense why they feel the need to do it, as this generation’s buy-in is considered a key component of the success of the exchanges.
But it doesn’t seem to be working. HHS reported that some 364,682 people had enrolled for coverage through the federal or one of the state insurance exchanges as of Nov. 30 but didn’t break down the data by age group. If October data released by some of the state-run exchanges is any indication, young people aren’t convinced. In California, Kentucky and Washington state, fewer than a quarter of enrollees were reported to be under 35. And a recent poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics found that less than one-third of surveyed uninsured 18- to 29-year olds said they were likely to enroll.
If anything is going to convince Millennials to buy in, I don’t think it’s going to involve bros, or the “sexiest man alive.” Rather, I join Ryan Donegan in this plea to marketers: Please! Be socially conversational, rather than “viral,” and don’t insult our desire to really understand.
