If you're trying to grab the attention of a diverse, hard-to-reach population, why not imitate one of the most successful marketing strategies on the planet?
That's what Access Health did when it decided to open user-friendly storefronts -- like those of the tech giant Apple -- to sell uninsured consumers on the state's complicated health insurance exchange.
"We asked ourselves `How can we think differently about how insurance is sold?' " said Kevin Counihan, CEO of Access Health. "We thought about Apple and how Apple products moved from being sold on the Web and through certain retailers to opening its own stores. We thought `Why not apply that to health insurance?' "
The exchange, which will start enrolling the uninsured on Oct. 1, plans to open storefronts throughout the state. Unlike Apple's boutiques, these shops would be situated in some of the state's poorer urban areas, including Bridgeport. The idea is to reach into the communities with the highest numbers of uninsured and educate them about enrolling in the health exchange, a process that can be as daunting as learning how to work a new gadget.
Expect to see Access Health stores soon in New Britain, New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport. Counihan said the concept could eventually expand into other urban areas in the state, including Danbury and Stamford.
The exchanges are one of the cornerstones of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, slated to provide insurance to millions by 2014. In Connecticut, there are roughly 344,000 uninsured, and about 100,000 are expected to enroll for coverage through the exchange in its first year.
There are a lot of ins and outs to using the exchanges, such as figuring out whether you qualify for a subsidy or access to low or no-cost insurance through Medicaid.
The storefronts address one of the biggest obstacles of marketing the exchange, which is reaching the people who need insurance the most, Counihan said. A lot of low-income, uninsured people might not have computers and might not have access to radio or TV ads about the exchange.
The storefronts are a way to bring the exchange to the people, said Angela Mattie, chairwoman of health management and organizational leadership at Quinnipiac University. She likened the approach to doctors traveling to homes in poorer communities to provide them with medical care, instead of expecting them to seek out the care themselves.
"It's an example of `How do we bring health care into the community?' " Mattie said. "People in leadership positions need to start thinking about doing more outreach into the community. We need to think about who we are designing this program for. We have to understand the literacy level, education level and access to computers. We have to learn their language and assist them into the system."
Connecticut is one of only 14 states that is building its own exchange. Counihan said, to his knowledge, the state is the only one using the Apple model to sell plans.
The storefronts will include booths where residents can meet with brokers and sort through the many options available to them. They will even have a version of Apple's "Genius Bars," where experts will help people with particularly complex insurance needs -- for instance, a family where one partner qualifies for Medicaid and one qualifies for a subsidy.
The first two stores will open in the next six weeks, in New Britain and New Haven. Counihan said there isn't yet a timeline for the Bridgeport store, but it could be open by the first of the year. He said the ideal spot for a health insurance store is roughly 2,000 square feet and near a bus or train line. Counihan said they also prefer to open in existing properties that require minimal refurbishment.
"We want something that's fairly turn-key," he said.
Many people who work with the uninsured population think the stores are an intriguing idea, and hope they soon expand into more communities.
"People want to see flesh -- they want to talk to somebody," said Ludwig Spinelli, executive director or Optimus Healthcare, which has offices in Bridgeport, Stamford and Stratford.
The clinics provide medical care to the uninsured and under-insured in those communities. Though Access Health hasn't yet selected a site for its Bridgeport outpost, Spinelli has some ideas.
"I would put it next to an unemployment office," he said. "They go hand-in-hand."
He said he'd also like to see an office in Stamford, but added that Optimus's clients in that city are mostly undocumented and likely wouldn't be eligible for the exchange.
Others mulling the possibilities of the exchange storefronts include Karen Gottlieb, executive director of the AmeriCares Free Clinics. The clinics are in Danbury, Norwalk and Bridgeport, and the organization will soon have a mobile clinic in Stamford. Gottlieb said she'd like to see stores in Danbury and Stamford, as they have high rates of uninsured, and is looking forward to the clinic in Bridgeport.
"Anything that brings information to the uninsured population in Connecticut is good," she said. "The more you can saturate the state with opportunities to learn about the health exchange, the better."
acuda@ctpost.com; 203-330-6290; twitter.com/AmandaCuda; http://blog.ctnews.com/whatthehealth/
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