On Monday, July 28, the Kaiser Family Foundation held an interactive web briefing to examine the experiences and lessons of four states — Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Washington — that each established state-based Marketplaces, expanded their Medicaid programs, and successfully enrolled eligible individuals into Medicaid and Marketplace coverage under the ACA.  The briefing drew upon a new issue brief released today by the Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU), What Worked and What’s Next? Strategies in States Leading ACA Enrollment Efforts.  Based on interviews with key stakeholders in each state — including Medicaid and Marketplace officials, consumer advocates, enrollment assisters and providers — the brief identifies the key strategies that contributed to the four states’ success in the inaugural ACA open enrollment period and highlights the states’ priorities looking forward.

Samantha Artiga, an associate director of the KCMU, presented findings on key strategies that contributed to the open enrollment successes in these four states related to marketing and branding, outreach and enrollment, consumer assistance and enrollment system design and program operations.  Panelists from each of the four study states  highlighted current and future priorities to continue to build upon their enrollment success and connect newly covered people to care.  Speakers included:

• Kevin Counihan, CEO, Access Health CT
• Lisa Lee, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Medicaid Services, Kentucky
• Taylor Roddy, Marketing & Communications Manager, Connect for Health Colorado
• Rudy Vasquez, Managed Care Operations Director, Sea Mar Community Health Centers of Washington