The Affordable Care Act

Because the target market did not fit into one easily definable mold—essentially being all uninsured residents of Illinois - I needed to take multiple approaches to get the message across to appeal to different sensibilities. My video campaign featured humorous videos to grab attention, particularly from a younger audience; testimonials by those who had been positively impacted after signing up; peeks inside the exchanges and interviews with enrollment navigators to inform the public how the process work; and Spanish-language videos to engage the Latinx population. Under the Affordable Care Act, more than a million Illinoisans have enrolled in healthcare plans, including through the Medicaid expansion.

Challenge

Rolling out the biggest change in healthcare since the 1960s. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly called Obamacare, was signed into law by President Obama in March 2010. In 2013, Hawthorne Strategy Group was part of the team selected by the Office of the Governor to launch the consumer brand of the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace – Get Covered Illinois (GCI).
Strategy

The Get Covered Illinois agency team executed an integrated public education campaign to reach a diverse range of uninsured consumers throughout Illinois. The campaign, grounded in primary and secondary research, interacted with residents in more than seven languages in every county across the state. The tactical blend included: Earned media; TV, radio, print, digital, out-of-home, and experiential advertising; Grassroots education; Influencer engagement; Digital and social media.
Video Campaigns

In collaboration with Downtown Partners Chicago and Fleishman Hillard, I created campaigns to educate uninsured Illinoisans on the Affordable Care Act, promote the state’s healthcare marketplace, and get residents to sign up for coverage. For some residents, the term “Obamacare” carried negative connotations, so part of our branding challenge was also to assuage their fears and clarify the mission of the ACA. Campaigns include: Get Covered Illinois, Luck is Not a Health Plan, and GCI Success Stories.
Results

The campaign strategy was wildly successful, and nearly 1 million residents were enrolled in health insurance. GCI has created and continued to mobilize a statewide network of volunteers, navigators, brokers, community organizations, small businesses, corporations, media, and many others to drive the results that have positioned Illinois as one the top states in the nation implementing the ACA. The campaigns have been honored with over a half dozen awards, ranging from the regional Emmy to the Public Sector Campaign of the Year.