Getting kids and families covered: Advocacy strategies for success

Many mandatory provisions of the ACA affecting children and families will go live in 2014. Evidence shows that helping parents gain health insurance increases the likelihood that children also have and use health coverage. As outreach to and enrollment of families begins, the public health community should be connected to these efforts and be at the table to contribute to ongoing efforts. Many state governments and advocates are focused on ensuring that families understand their health care options and enroll in coverage beginning in October. These systems and efforts to implement them vary state to state, with some states actively pursuing coverage expansions and others continuing to obstruct consumer access to coverage. State-based consumer advocacy networks play a pivotal role in supporting outreach and enrollment and working with policymakers and other stakeholders to facilitate ACA implementation. Specifically, advocates are using a variety of strategies to connect children and families to coverage, including on the ground outreach campaigns, enhanced enrollment opportunities, and feedback loops with state agencies and federal stakeholders. Including the public health community in these efforts will boost the impact of these efforts and increase the number of parents and children who are connected to coverage.