Shoppers this holiday season will encounter a lot more Obamacare.
The Department of Health and Human Services is set to announce a new partnership Wednesday with retail stores, pharmacies and popular websites that will allow them to better spread the word about open enrollment season, according to Politico.
Westfield Shopping Centers, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and the XO Group will carry the new outreach approach on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday to highlight how consumers can sign up for healthcare during enrollment season.
Open enrollment season began on Nov. 15 and ends on Feb. 15.
The Obama administration is excited about the new partnerships and their potential for reaching Americans, “whether consumers are shopping at a mall, online or at their community pharmacy,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said.
Westfield malls in New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Connecticut, Florida and Washington will allow navigators and other enrollment workers to both hand out fliers and use other outreach approach methods.
The NCPA will be hosting calls with HHS officials to train pharmacists on how they can spread the word about open enrollment season, as well as using new tactics to share information with its 23,000 members.
“Community pharmacists are front-line healthcare providers who serve as a critical access point to care for many Americans,” Association CEO B. Douglas Hoey said.
Finally, the XO Group will be using its sites — such as The Knot and The Bump — to advertise to women who are set to experience a life changing events such as marriage or childbirth.
The Obama administration has set a goal of 9.1 million enrollees by the end of 2015.
