Covered California Wins National Award for Its Outreach and Education Efforts to Inform the Public About Critical Health Care Issues

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California on Friday was honored for its public policy research, studies and reports on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the prestigious PR News Platinum Awards, a national contest recognizing outstanding public relations efforts.

“This national recognition underscores the work of our staff and community partners do to inform, educate and enroll Californians in affordable health insurance,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “The main reward of our outreach is in the enrollment of thousands of Californians, but these rewards validate the good work our team is doing on consumers’ behalf.”

The 2018 PR News Platinum Award winners set industry benchmarks for excellence across all areas of communications. Entrants include U.S.-based and international public relations agencies, corporations, nonprofits, associations and government organizations.

Covered California was recognized as the top organization in the External Publications category and received honorable mention in three other categories: Media Event, Multicultural Campaign and the WOW! Award.

In the External Publications category, Covered California was honored for its “issue briefs” – a series of studies, reports and analyses – which highlighted the agency’s experiences and lessons in implementing the Affordable Care Act. These reports  addressed the implications of federal policy changes, the benefits of legislative and administrative changes being considered at the state and federal level and the value of marketing and outreach.

The issue briefs and reports illustrate key elements of Covered California’s approach to creating a successful competitive marketplace in California, where the rate of the uninsured has been cut by more than half since 2013, and premiums for those who do not receive subsidies have increased by only modest amounts over the past four years.

Covered California was recognized in three additional categories. Two nominations were for the Media Event category and the WOW! Award for the agency’s outreach and education work during the “Covered in Art” bus tour and mural campaign. The statewide campaign promoted enrollment and illustrated that health care is part of the fabric of every community in California. Covered California worked in partnership with its public relations contractor, Ogilvy, on the tour, which took place between Nov. 1, 2017, and Jan. 31, 2018.

Covered California’s in-house communications team was also recognized in the category of Multicultural Campaign for its targeted outreach and media activities to reach Latinos, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders and LGBTQ communities throughout the state. 

Overall, Covered California competed with nationally known public relations firms that represented companies such as Intel, 21st Century Fox, HP and Kentucky Fried Chicken, among others.

“We couldn’t do this great work without the talented team of communications professionals and policy experts working in-house at Covered California,” Lee said.

About Covered California

Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies. Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program.

Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the Legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.

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