Email ‘Nudges’ Spur Small Increase in Switching to Superior ACA Exchange Plans

  • Apr 12, 2024

    Sending informational emails helped lead to some California residents switching to superior Affordable Care Act exchange plans, according to a study published on March 29 in JAMA Health Forum. However, Marina Lovchikova, Ph.D., the trial’s lead author, points out that the vast majority of households remained in their original plans and the impact on health care utilization was minimal. This suggests that more can be done to make sure enrollees are fully aware of their options and eligibility for more generous plans, she tells AIS Health, a division of MMIT. 

    Lovchikova, a senior researcher at Covered California, says the state’s exchange is “trying to get people to the coverage that could be most affordable for them and increase the access for their coverage. Some methods the state employs are sending emails or doing other low-cost, so-called nudges, which attempt to inform residents of their options but not automatically enroll them in another plan without their consent. 

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  • Tim Casey

    Tim has been a reporter and editor for newspapers, websites and magazines for more than 20 years, including 10 years covering health care business topics. He has a deep knowledge of the managed care industry and pharmacy benefit management. He also has experience covering medical conferences and clinical and legislative health care issues. In 2014, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing selected Tim as one of 15 journalists to participate in a national symposium on the Affordable Care Act. Tim has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.

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