affordable care act: va communication framework july 24, 2013 department of veterans affairs

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT: VA COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK

July 24, 2013

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Overview

• ACA represents comprehensive reform of the health care delivery system and is intended to expand access to coverage, control health care costs and improve health care delivery system.

• ACA requires most individuals to have minimum essential health care coverage for themselves and their dependents or make a payment when filing taxes for each month lacking coverage.

– Enrollment in VA health care, CHAMPVA and Spina Bifida programs meet the minimum essential coverage standard.

• Certain individuals, based on their income, may be eligible for assistance to lower the cost of health care coverage premiums.

• States have the option to expand Medicaid eligibility to up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level

• Establishment of Health Insurance Marketplaces where individuals and small businesses can compare policies and premiums, and buy insurance coverage.

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ACA and VA – Enrollment Changes

• Enrollment changes may occur as Veterans respond to the new choices that are available to them

• States’ decision on Medicaid expansion may impact health care choices for Veterans who may become newly eligible for Medicaid– ACA expands Medicaid eligibility up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level

– According to the 2010 VHA Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ Health and Reliance upon VA, 584,000 enrolled Veterans are also enrolled with Medicaid

• Those most likely to change their enrollment status are non-users or have low reliance on VA

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ACA and Veterans

• Enrolled Veterans can continue to use VA and other federal health care coverage including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE or private insurance.

• Since enrollment meets the requirement for coverage under the law, they are not eligible for assistance in purchasing insurance.

• ACA will give some Veterans the choice to decide whether to use VA for health care, or choose non-VA options.

• Increased choices have implications for VA in the areas of outreach and communications.

• Veterans will expect VA to be able to assist them in understanding their options and deciding what’s best for them and their families.

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VA’s Overarching Communication Strategy

• VA’s focus is two fold: – Educate Veterans that VA health care meets ACA health insurance standards and

(for those not currently enrolled), promote VA health care as an option; and – Communicate to Veterans and their families the value of health insurance and

provide information about the Marketplace to those not eligible for care through VA, including Veterans’ families.

• To execute a multi-faceted strategy to engage with Veterans, staff and other stakeholders about VA and ACA.

– There are approximately 22M Veterans, 8.2M are enrolled in VA health care programs.

– There are an estimated 1.3M uninsured Veterans, most are eligible for VA health care.

• To ensure consistent communications with these audiences, VA has developed key messages to share with Veterans and other VA beneficiaries.

• VA will communicate information on ACA, using various modalities starting in July 2013. 5


VA Overarching Communication Strategy (cont.)KEY STAKEHOLDERS SPECIFIC GROUPS

Veterans, Veterans Families, and the Public

Veterans (includes enrolled Veterans, transitioning service members, eligible but non-enrolled Veterans, and special categories of Veterans, e.g., student Veterans)

Veterans families CHAMPVA and Spina Bifida Beneficiaries Media and the General Public

Internal and Interagency Audiences:

VA Leadership VA Organizations and Staff Offices VHA and VBA Program Offices VISN/VAMC/Regional Office Leadership and Staff Vet Center Staff and Volunteers VA-DoD Sharing Offices VA Call Centers Other Federal Agencies, CMS Navigators, Counselors and Agents

Stakeholders and Organizations:

Congressional Leaders and Veterans Committees Staffs Veteran Service Organizations, Non Governmental and Military Service Organizations State Directors of Veterans Agencies Governors, Mayors, State Marketplaces Non-VA Health Care Providers Disabled and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses

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Key Messages

• VA wants all Veterans to receive health care that improves their health and well-being.

– VA will assist Veteran and other beneficiaries to determine their eligibility for VA health care and other health coverage options.

• If enrolled in VA health care, a Veteran does not need to take additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standards.

– The health care law does not change VA health benefits or Veterans’ out-of-pocket costs.

• Veterans and other beneficiaries not currently enrolled in VA health care can apply for enrollment at any time.

– Our doors are open – applications are accepted online at www.va.gov/healthbenefits/enroll, by phone at 1-877-222-VETS (8387), by mail, or in person at a VA medical facility.

• VA will continue to provide Veterans with high quality, comprehensive health care and benefits they earned through their service.

• Veterans’ family members and Veterans not eligible for VA care may secure coverage through the Marketplace.

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https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/


Planned VA Outreach Efforts

• Landing Site (interactive website with ACA information, comparison tool, etc.) – Veterans’ family members webpage with link to healthcare.gov

• Direct Mail• Print/Online/Media Communications

– Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs)• In-Person Communication Tools• Collaboration with other Federal agencies and partners

– HHS, DoD, DOL, SBA– State Governors and State Veterans Agencies

• Leverage partnership opportunities– VSOs , NGOs, MSOs– Veteran small business owners– Grantees

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Communication Timeline

5/2013 6/2013 7/2013 8/2013 9/2013 10/2013

May 2013 Release interim www.va.gov

content changes Enhance call Center scripts Introduce approved

communications materials e.g. FAQ, Fact Sheet at NLC summit

Conduct www.va.gov/aca focus group review

Maintain intranet site for staff to access information / tools

June 2013 Develop ACA website Release Health Benefit Explorer on

va.gov/healthbenefits Release VHA staff training on ACA Finalize direct communications

materials

July 2013 Focus group ACA website and Explorer Launch www.va.gov/aca featuring content &

Health Benefits Explorer Release VAMC ACA communications toolkit Begin mailing ACA letters/ information

package to enrollees Add ACA to Enrollment materials Release new streamlined 10-10EZ Expand call center staffing/hours; web-chat Release social media messages Identify facility ACA Advisors

August 2013 Publish Vanguard article Continue ACA letter/packages to enrollees Begin outreach to not enrolled Veterans Continue enhancing content and capabilities on

www.va.gov/aca Release content for VSO, SDVA websites and

print communications Present at VSO National Conferences Release PSAs and YouTube video Initiate outreach to States

September / October 2013 Continue mailout of ACA

letter to enrollees Continue outreach

campaigns

ACA Open Season begins

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http://www.va.gov/

http://www.va.gov/aca




VA ACA Landing Page

www.va.gov/aca

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VA Health Benefits Explorer

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VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 12


Outreach Campaigns

• CBO plans to initiate outreach to 166,000 not Enrolled VA Education beneficiaries beginning in August

• CBO seeks opportunities to partner with VISNs to outreach to other not enrolled Veteran groups

– High Potential Targets:• Under Age 65, particularly Young Adults• Low and Moderate Income• Enrollment Eligibility, e.g., Service-Connected, Vietnam Vets• Declining or Stable Markets

• Encourage facility leadership to form local alliances to indentify uninsured Veterans, and help them make informed choices about their health

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HHS ACA Outreach Efforts

• Educate the American public about the value of health insurance and to encourage purchasing insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace for those who need it

• HHS launched a redesigned website www.healthcare.gov

• HHS outreach and communications efforts include: • Create call centers in 6 states to support the 34 states where the Federal

Marketplace will be implemented (call centers are using VA-supplied scripts)

• Assistance to community health centers to help enroll people in health insurance

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http://www.healthcare.gov/


VA Visibility on healthcare.gov

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Next Steps

• Release additional communication materials– Creditable Coverage letter– Add ACA to TAP and Demo (transition) presentations– Guides for Enrolled and Not Enrolled Veterans

• Enhance VA Health Benefits Explorer to identify other health care coverage options for Veterans

• Develop external Navigator (HHS) training materials

• Develop not enrolled and uninsured Veterans outreach campaigns

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Questions

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affordable care act: va communication framework july 24, 2013 department of veterans affairs

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