Health insurance enrollment outreach and support
Last Revised: December 9, 2025
- Issue Areas
- Health and well-being
Program overview
Increasing health insurance enrollment: Health insurance enrollment outreach and support describes a variety of strategies to assist individuals who lack insurance coverage in finding and enrolling in a suitable plan or aiding enrolled individuals in renewing coverage.
Conducting outreach to build awareness: Outreach efforts are conducted in many ways. They are often done via person to person outreach, frequently performed by community health workers at local events, targeted outreach in schools or healthcare settings, and via mass media and social media campaigns. Outreach is typically run by federal and state governments, public health insurance marketplaces, non-profits, health care centers, and other community based organizations. Campaigns are often funded via grants from the federal government and private foundations.
Providing enrollment support: Beyond notifying individuals of their health care options, campaigns often include staff who may help participants identify plans which meet their needs and help them through the process of enrolling in that plan. This frequently involves on-site assistance, such as at federally-qualified health centers, or similar services via phone or virtual chat.
Multiple studies with rigorous designs provide evidence for health insurance enrollment outreach and support as a well-supported strategy to increase health insurance coverage.
- This assessment is based on evidence from a 2022 research synthesis.
Tailor outreach efforts: To encourage engagement, outreach efforts should include input from trusted community groups representing the communities the initiative seeks to serve. Advertising should be conducted in languages that are relevant to local populations and enrollment assistance should be available in those languages.
Form community partnerships: Organizations which provide enrollment information and services can partner with other local organizations that regularly serve priority populations to create referral networks. For example, partnering with a local health clinic or centers that aid people experiencing homelessness, may be an effective way to reach this target population.
Test and evaluate messaging: Mass media and social media advertising for health care options and open enrollment periods should be tested prior to release if organizations have the resources to do so. If not, data should be collected on the impacts of ad outreach messaging to determine what strategy is most effective at reaching target audiences.