Campaigns Target Uninsured LGBTs

Standing in his floral design studio in Los Angeles' Echo Park neighborhood, Maurice Harris discusses why he signed up for health insurance through Covered California, the state-run exchange where uninsured residents can choose from a variety of plans.

"I need to take care of myself as well as my business. And now I can do both with health coverage," says Harris, noting that his job comes with risks that could require him to seek medical treatment.

Not said in the 15-second ad, part of Covered California's "I'm In" marketing campaign, is that the 33-year-old Harris is a gay man. Nonetheless, Harris is the public face of the state exchange's latest efforts to reach uninsured LGBT residents in the Golden State.

Since the fall his television spots have aired in the state's various media markets during shows known to attract a sizeable LGBT audience. And print ads featuring Harris have also been running in LGBT publications, such as the Bay Area Reporter, for several months.

"Maurice was someone we found while looking for individuals and families to tell their stories about why having health coverage was important to them," Covered California spokesman Roy Kennedy told the B.A.R. in an emailed response to questions. "We do this on a regular basis because having actual enrollees tell their stories is very impactful and gives people a real perspective of how Covered California helps people."

When Harris opened his business Bloom and Plume in 2010, he opted not to enroll in a health insurance plan. He cited the cost of having to pay a monthly premium between $400 and $500 as a barrier to having coverage.

"It was too much of an overwhelming process for me. It seemed really expensive and unapproachable," said Harris, who grew up in Stockton and moved to southern California when he enrolled at the Otis College of Art and Design. "I really just avoided the whole thing."

That changed with the launch of Covered California in the fall of 2013. Harris logged onto the website and found a plan costing $200 a month, far less than what he had been quoted in the past.

"It was significantly more approachable than what the private sector was offering before this bill was passed," said Harris, referring to the Affordable Care Act enacted by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.

Shortly after he signed up, Harris received a call from a representative with Covered California inviting him to audition for a marketing campaign. That led to a crew visiting him at his studio a few blocks from his home to tape the spot.

A black man, Harris also appears in a 30-second television ad with two black women that has been airing during shows with large African American audiences. His being featured in the spots has led strangers to approach him on the street to discuss the ads, which he was surprised to learn were being shown on TV.

"I thought it would be an online testimonial kind of thing ... I didn't realize it would be a commercial running all the time," said Harris, who missed the first call back. "They really wanted to see me, so they called me back again a second time."

Having disclosed his sexual orientation to the marketing team, Harris said they asked him if he would be interested in using his story to target LGBT people.

"Absolutely, that is awesome," he replied. "I am a happy, healthy gay person. If I can inspire others to get coverage great."

Harris, who doesn't watch TV, has only watched the ads online.

In late 2013 Covered California rolled out its first LGBT marketing effort, which included billboards and print ads, featuring images of same-sex couples. Like the ads featuring Harris, there was nothing explicitly stating they were meant for an LGBT audience.

"We know California is an extremely diverse state, possibly the most diverse in the nation. Our marketing is driven by many factors including our Marketing Advisory Group, which gives us feedback in each demographic including LGBT," explained Kennedy. "We think with their help we've had positive results with providing access to quality, affordable health care to all demographics we serve."

This past weekend Get Covered Illinois debuted the first LGBT-oriented ad featuring a married same-sex couple in a major primetime buy, said Kellan Baker, an analyst with the Center for American Progress involved in the national Out2Enroll effort to encourage LGBT people to sign up for health insurance.

The airing of the television spot coincided with the start of the National LGBT Outreach and Enrollment Week for the Affordable Care Act, which began Monday, January 12 and runs through Sunday, January 18.

"Inside LGBT communities, a lot of LGBT people have no idea the Affordable Care Act includes a non-discrimination clause or financial help for them to get coverage," said Baker, a Los Angeles native now based out of New York who travels the country promoting the ACA to LGBT people. "A lot of people just have no idea the Affordable Care Act is an option for them."

Yet many LGBT people have gotten the message that the ACA is welcoming to them and a viable option, based on a report the Center for American Progress released this week. It found that the uninsured rate among low- and middle-income LGBT people - those who are potentially eligible for financial assistance to get coverage under the law - dropped almost one-quarter between 2013 and 2014.

It went down from one in three, or 34 percent, in 2013 to one in four, or 26 percent, in 2014, according to the center's findings in its report "Moving the Needle: The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on LGBT Communities," which Baker co-wrote.

"The needle needs to move in terms of LGBT people need more coverage that works for them," said Baker, adding that the number of LGBT people who remain uninsured "is very high."

The deadline for people to sign up for health coverage under the current open enrollment period ends Sunday, February 15. At the website http://out2enroll.org/, people can search via ZIP code to find free assistance in signing up for a plan that works best for their needs.

"We know that is what a lot of people need to understand the process and find health coverage they want," said Baker.

Covered California's latest marketing push will continue to air up to the enrollment deadline.

"Covered California's visibility has increased after the holidays so consumers can expect to see more ads in all relevant platforms targeting specific audiences and ethnic populations," wrote Kennedy. "The LGBT community is a target audience for us and part of our uptick in marketing toward the end of open enrollment includes ads targeting the LGBT community."

As for Harris, he intended to re-enroll last week, even though he has yet to see a doctor under his health insurance plan.

"I guess I am a very stereotypical male. I don't like going to the doctor," he said. "I pay my fee but I don't really go to the doctor. But just in case, you never know, I like to be covered."