Shawn Dhanak is the communications lead for Michigan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chapter of Enroll America.<\/p>\n
His duties focus on customers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 relations and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153amplifying outreach to the community and broader<\/p>\n
public via the media.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He manages the state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Enroll America page, which is updated with news<\/p>\n
concerning enrollment events and information about the ACA, as well as stories from consumers<\/p>\n
who have recently been enrolled. Additionally, Shawn maintains Enroll Michigan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s social<\/p>\n
media presence by tweeting and being active on Facebook. Shawn is also involved with<\/p>\n
gathering– and keeping in contact with– volunteers for Enroll Michigan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s outreach programs<\/p>\n
and enrollment events.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While currently the focus of Shawn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s organization has been on informing consumers<\/p>\n
about Healthy Michigan, and facilitating enrollment for it, there is still an emphasis on educating<\/p>\n
potential consumers about the regular insurance options available in new marketplaces. The<\/p>\n
current focus on Healthy Michigan \u00e2\u20ac\u0153doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going door to door and holding<\/p>\n
phone banks and educating people who are still most likely uninsured.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Enroll Michigan is<\/p>\n
trying to get across to consumers important messages including the ongoing nature of enrollment<\/p>\n
(for Healthy Michigan), the existence of special enrollment periods (in the event of a life-<\/p>\n
changing circumstance), and the availability of tax credits.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to Shawn, Enroll Michigan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work was very successful in getting people to<\/p>\n
sign up for an insurance plan during the first open enrollment period for the ACA. While<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Enroll America doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually do any of the actual enrollment- that is up to our partners:<\/p>\n
federally certified application counselors and navigators,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the outreach programs have yielded<\/p>\n
impressive numbers. Nearly 100,000 Michiganders have been educated about the ACA and<\/p>\n
opportunities for gaining health insurance, and over 772,000 have been enrolled in an insurance<\/p>\n
plan as a result of the outreach efforts (with roughly 259,000 Michiganders enrolling in Healthy<\/p>\n
Michigan plans).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, while there is cause for celebration, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a ton more work to do,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shawn<\/p>\n
said. Major outreach efforts still need to occur in order to reach those who are currently<\/p>\n
uninsured and educate them about their options. Also, lessons that were learned during the first<\/p>\n
round of open enrollment need to be applied to this upcoming round in order to refine the<\/p>\n
process of gathering and enrolling citizens. Educating the public is one of the biggest things, in<\/p>\n
Shawn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s opinion, that needs to be emphasized during the second enrollment period, especially<\/p>\n
about the fact that insurance is more affordable than ever thanks to the opportunity for tax credits<\/p>\n
(something most unenrolled people know little about). Evidence to the affordability of these<\/p>\n
new insurance plans is underscored by a recent survey revealing 80-90% of new insurance<\/p>\n
holders are positive they can afford their monthly premiums. Another take-away from the first<\/p>\n
round of enrollment is the importance of in-person assistance, as surveys have shown that there<\/p>\n
is large desire for aid when filling out the online form to enroll in a health insurance plan.<\/p>\n
Shawn was very positive about the effects the ACA has- and will have- on the health of<\/p>\n
American citizens. He himself was greatly aided by the passage of the ACA, as due to a<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153profound pre-existing condition,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d his parents\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 insurance company was going to kick him off at<\/p>\n
the age of 24, and he would have had an extremely difficult time trying to find another insurance<\/p>\n
company to take him on as a customer. Now though, thanks to the ACA, neither of those factors<\/p>\n
is a barrier to Shawn having health insurance. With the ACA in place, there is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153greater<\/p>\n
consumer protection, peace of mind, and financial security\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for those with health insurance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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