Covered California, the state’s Obamacare exchange, is wielding a monster marketing budget this enrollment season that devotes $45 million to ads, including $18 million for TV and $8 million for radio. The state’s marketing riches contrast starkly with the advertising budget for the federal health insurance exchange, healthcare.gov. The feds have slashed ad dollars to $10 million, down from $100 million last year.
California is one of 11 states, plus the District of Columbia, that operate their own health insurance exchanges. The remaining 39 states use the federal healthcare.gov site.
For more, read Ana B. Ibarra and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez’s “Putting Money Where Its Mouthpiece Is: Calif. Outspends U.S. To Market Obamacare.”
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.Some elements may be removed from this article due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about available photos or other content, please contact khnweb@kff.org.