Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Health Choices has had a relationship with Tallahassee public relations firm SalterMitchell since 2010.
The “marketing and communication agency,” however, won’t be the lead on Florida Health Choices’ $75,000 marketing campaign aimed at advertising the availability of Obamacare plans in January.
At a board of director’s meeting in Tallahassee on Friday, FHC Chief Executive Officer Rose Naff said that SalterMitchell had received correspondence from the Department of Health and Human Services notifying the firm that it couldn’t advertise the health care “marketplace” because of a contract it had with Healthcare.gov, the site of the federal health care “exchange.” Naff said the government claimed it was a conflict of interest for SalterMitchell to handle the marketplace and the federal exchange.
The board on Friday voted to approve a $75,000 marketing campaign handled by On 3 Public Relations. The firm is being paid $15,000 over the next three months to handle the advertising campaign. Naff told the board the money being paid to the new firm is what it would have spent on SalterMitchell to spearhead the advertising campaign.
Heidi Otway, director of public relations and social media for SalterMitchell, told the board that the firm was waiting for additional correspondence from the federal government. Otway said after the meeting she was unauthorized to answer questions and referred further questions to the company president. Company president and Chief Operating Officer April Salter did not immediately respond.
Healthcare.gov is the site of the federal health insurance exchange where uninsured Americans can enroll in qualified health plans and possibly qualify for a subsidy to help purchase the health plans. Open enrollment for Obamacare ends February 15. Because Florida did not establish a state-run exchange Floridians who want to purchase Obamacare plans have used the website.
Florida Health Choices — initially established as a mandate free marketplace for businesses but expanded to include individuals — will begin offering the Obamacare plans in January.
