In an effort to attract more enrollees, the Obama administration is launching an initiative to promote the Affordable Care Act exchanges through television ads and direct mail. However, these ads may push forward different messages than politicians' campaign ads about the ACA, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Here are five things to know:
1. The Obama administration's ads highlight the ACA's affordable coverage, while many ACA opponents are using ads as a platform to speak against the ACA. For instance, many Republicans launch ads about escalating premiums.
2. The Obama administration's message may be lost in the wake of politicians' ads flooding television screens. Kip Casinos, executive VP at Borrell Associates, told WSJ, the ACA's affordability message is "too intertwined into the political process."
3. An Advertising Analytics analysis found nearly 32,686 ads critiquing the health law have circulated since Jan. 11, 2016.
4. However, another industry expert, Caroline Pearson, a senior VP at Avalere Health, noted negative ACA ads may in fact boost enrollment as it increases awareness about the ACA, which is what happened in 2014.
5. The Obama administration believes they can use the ACA's successes in the last three years to attract younger and healthier consumers. Officials plan to send out 10 million pieces of direct mail, which is up from nearly 800,000 pieces in 2015. The administration also plans to contact 20 million people who visited HealthCare.gov.
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