ACA Outreach in the Heartland: Educating and Empowering the Service Industry

The health insurance provisions in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 have the potential to significantly reduce health disparities, given the unprecedented opportunity for the under- and uninsured to enroll in a health plan. However, many of the under- and uninsured residents in the Heartland states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska are not aware of their eligibility status, the health insurance benefits of the ACA and do not understand how to sign up for coverage. In particular, employees of small business enterprises such as the restaurants and other employers in the hospitality industry are vulnerable because their employment status most likely renders them ineligible for Medicaid and employer-based health insurance.

In January of 2014, the St. Louis City Health Department in Missouri initiated an ACA outreach effort targeting employees in the hospitality industry through their employers and trade associations. The outreach effort targeted about 2,200 employers and potentially, the 70,000 workers in the industry.  This outreach effort was endorsed by the Heartland Regional Health Equity Council (H-RHEC) during its annual meeting and was subsequently replicated in Kansas City, Missouri, leveraging the H-RHECs network to reach 621 members of the Hotel /Lodging Association, the Retailer Grocers Association, and the Missouri Restaurant Association, and potentially their 18,000+ employees. This presentation will highlight collaborative and outreach strategies used in this effort, and also share perspectives on challenges and successes of this approach, as well as needs and opportunities to leverage this type of outreach strategy in the upcoming 2015 enrollment season.