Starting in October, states and federal government will be embarking on an all-hands-on-deck effort to educate consumers about their new health care coverage options and encourage them to become insured. Providers absolutely can be helpful in that effort. Providers who want to offer information to their patients should reach out to their professional associations or state health insurance exchanges to learn more about how they can help.
Shelly Ten Napel is a senior manager at AcademyHealth, a health services research organization in Washington, D.C., where she works on state health care coverage initiatives.