Lbr Letter On Aca Marketing Research.pdf

CONGRESSWOMAN

LISA

BLUNT

ASSISTANT WHIP

ROCHESTER

DELAWARE AT-LARGE

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE

WASHINCITON OFFICE 1519 LONGWORTHHOB WASHINGTON, [).c. 20515 (202) 225-4165

SUBCOMMITTEEON DIGITAL Couwesce AND Cohsuta:s PROT!CTION Suscowwinee Suscowuinee

WILMINGTON OFFICE 1105 N MARKET ST, STE. 400 WILMINGTON, DE 19801 (302) 830-2330

March Alex

ON

HEALTH

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GEOROETOWN OFFICE 28 THE CIRCLE, SUITE 2 GEORGETOWN,DE 19947 (302) 858-4773

Tlie Honorable

Suacouuinee

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Ewepiay

ON

oii ENVIRONMENT

27, 2019

Azar

Secretary U.S. Department

of Health

200 Independence Washington,

and Human

Services

s.w.

Avenue,

D.C. 20201

The Honorable

Seema Verma

Administrator Centers

for Medicare

7500 Security Baltimore,

and Medicaid

Boulevard

MD

21244

Dear Secretary

Azar

We are writing

to request

Medicare briefing

Services

and Administrator

and Medicaid presentations,

Verma,

that the Department Services

(CMS)

and underlying

of Health

make public

and Human

Services

(HHS)

any and all documents,

data sets in an anonymized

and the Centers

including

way, including

results

for

of studies,,

econometric

models

and

individual-level experiments,regarding the effectivenessof marketing and outreachefforts for the Affordable Care Act. Since the close of the 2016 open enrollment the number

of new enrollees.

According

enrollment

dropped

decisions,

including

efforts

to disincentivize

the open enrollment

period

from

that provide

and junk

outreach

skimpy

efforts,

Foundation

by over 4,250,000

which

report2,

15th was the deadline

modeling email,

'

boost

enrollment

and mail

from

concerned

people

Additionally,

of the marketplaces

to the House

digital,

Foundation',

Coinrnittee

enrolling

through

with

a number

health

According

to another

Kaiser knew

Fund report

found

of

plans

marketing

who buy their own insurance

a Comi'nonwealth

in

policy

the shortening

and association

and

Family that

that 40% of

in 2017.3 in February",

study that outlined a cost-effective

CMS's

Joshua Peck,

and multi-medium

marketing.

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BLUNTROCHESTER.HOUSE.GOV

a former

success through

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particularly

of alarming

in the exchanges,

of short-term

cut over that time. or people

decline

2016 to 2019, marketplace

about the cuts made to CMS's

on Appropriations

multi-year

numbers

from

this trend corresponds people

in a 90% funding

cited a never-made-public,

that helped

television,

While

we are deeply

to enroll.

were still unaware

submitted

at CMS,

Family

90 to 45 days, and the expansion

have resulted

adults

there has been a steady but dramatic

healthy

in 2018, just 1 in 4 uninsured

December

In testimony

people.

coverage,

uninsured

Advisor

period,

to tlie Kaiser

Senior

econometric

approach,

including

Despite

the positive

results

- citing

cost-saving

measures.

from

Democracy

Colas,

received

the marketing

Forward, the results

According

obtained

advertising,

- a conservative

To provide

Administration

lie referred

to a Freedom

study,

Administrator referenced

$100 million

ended all paid marketing of Information

Seema Verma's

in Peck's

testimony,

to $10 million.

When

Obamacare

advertising

has been seen between

between

greater studies,

CMS

this cut to critical estimate

on Appropriations,

due to tlie Administration's

including

from

Trump

that CMS

of the multi-year

correlation

to emails

coverage

testimony,

showed

budget

study,

Act (FOIA)

then-Chief

andeither

request

of Staff,

three weeks prior

the decision

efforts

was made,

Brian

to slashing a CMS

new enrollm

according

Peck estimated

and Weber funding to Weber

Shandwick, resulted

Shandwick.

that a minimum

the public

relations

in over 100,000

fewer

In his testimony

of 2.3 million

firm

handling

people

enrolling

submitted

new enrollments

in

to the House have been lost

actions.

transparency presentations,

and visibility

to the general

fact sheets, underlying

public,

please provide

data sets in an anonymized

any and all documents way,

or educational

materials createdfrom 2014 onward relatedto marketing and outreachefforts for the Affordable Care Act. Sincerely,

4&hoo Member

of Congress

Chairinan

Chairwoman Subcommittee

'

fact

ent or

emollment.s"

HealthCare.gov Coinmittee

multi-year

In Peck's

which

and outreach

sheet stated that "no effectuated

of CMS's

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