As the White House convenes the Millennial Outreach and Enrollment Summit, CMS announced additional efforts to reach young adults during the fourth open enrollment period and help them find coverage through HealthCare.gov.
Although young adults have experienced the largest drop in uninsured rates since 2010 compared with other ages, millions of people in their twenties and early thirties remain uninsured, according to CMS.
"This year, we'll be using new tactics and strategies to reach young adults where they are and deliver the message that they have affordable coverage options," HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan said in a statement. "These new tactics will both benefit young Americans and strengthen the marketplace risk pool."
One of these new tactics includes leveraging online platforms that cater to young adults, such as Twitch, a social video platform and community for gamers. This initiative will feature HealthCare.gov videos, a homepage takeover and ongoing efforts with streamers on Twitch to amplify the administration's message throughout the open enrollment period. Twitch currently attracts close to 10 million daily active users, with its most popular demographic being 18 to 34-year-olds.
Because one in five millennials accesses the internet exclusively through mobile devices, the Obama administration has invested in improving HealthCare.gov's mobile interface to make it easier to compare plans on a smartphone.
Finally, during open enrollment, CMS and stakeholders will organize a young adult social media outreach campaign under the name #HealthyAdulting. As part of this campaign, longstanding open enrollment partners will increase social media engagement on various digital platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, to start discussions about health and healthcare.