Planned Parenthood Launches Campaign to Educate Uninsured Women in Minnesota about New Insurance Plans

This week, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS) is launching a campaign to help educate uninsured Minnesotans about the benefits and availability of new health insurance plans available through MNsure and help them get enrolled.

“Starting this week, thousands of Minnesotans without insurance will be able to enroll in more affordable, quality health insurance plans – but that’s only if they know where to go for information, how to get their questions answered, and how to enroll,” said Sarah Stoesz, President & CEO of PPMNS. “That’s why we are launching this campaign to help educate eligible, uninsured women about the new options available to them.”

The campaign includes:

• A new webpage at www.ppmns.org/healthinsurance, with enrollment resources and information and how the law benefits women; and
• MNsure-certified Navigators who will be launching education and enrollment efforts in communities state-wide.  Minnesotans can also learn more or speak with a Navigator by phone (1-800-230-PLAN) or email (getcovered@ppmns.org); and
• Outreach to young, uninsured women in PPMNS’ health centers and through neighborhood canvassing and phone-banking to reach as many as possible about enrolling in a new plan; and
• A social media campaign with constant updates on Facebook and Twitter – including an “Ask a Navigator” series featuring some of the most frequently asked questions we’re hearing from Minnesotans about new plans; and
• A series of educational videos outlining some simple steps every Minnesotan can take to find a plan that’s right for them.

“Thousands of uninsured women in our region already rely on Planned Parenthood for trusted information and health care,” added Stoesz. “We are uniquely positioned to reach the very people that will benefit from this law the most because 75% of our patients are currently uninsured.”

With the enrollment period beginning, recent polls have revealed mass confusion among those likely to benefit from Obamacare most. A poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal/NBC last week found that, among the uninsured, 76 percent of respondents said they didn’t understand the law and how it would affect them. Fifty-two percent of the uninsured polled believed Obamacare wouldn’t affect them at all.

How Obamacare Will Impact Women

Women stand to benefit considerably from the health care law. They represent nearly half of the uninsured and have unique health care needs, particularly during their reproductive years. In Minnesota, 900,000 women will gain access to preventive health services – like prenatal care, breast-feeding support and birth control – without co-pays. And women will no longer have to pay more for health insurance than men and can no longer be denied insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions like breast cancer, having a C-section, or being the victim of domestic violence.

Nationally, nearly 12 million uninsured women between the ages of 19 and 44 will become eligible for new health insurance either through Medicaid or Marketplace plans. Once fully implemented, the ACA will ensure that the 9% of Minnesotans who are uninsured – or nearly 500,000 people – will have access to the health care they need.

For more information or to set up an interview with a PPMNS spokesperson, please contact Jen Aulwes at 651-755-9557.

For more than 80 years, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota has worked in our region to make sure all people have the information and the means to make free and responsible decisions about whether and when to have children.  Planned Parenthood operates 20 clinics in Minnesota and South Dakota and an Online Health Center, providing quality and affordable family planning, reproductive health care services and education to nearly 64,000  women and men each year.