Humana's Health Check

The Challenge:

Hospital patients were without access to the price or performance information needed to make informed choices. Humana Inc. partnered with Herrle Communications Group (now part of Salter>Mitchell) to change that through legislation. Previous efforts to force hospitals to provide consumers with price lists, estimates and performance measures were met by strong hospital opposition. The issue became an inter-industry battle against “evil insurers.”

Our Approach:

Our team created a cheerleading coalition for the passage of the “Health Care Consumers Right to Know Act," which would help put consumers back in the driver's seat. We anchored the coalition with employers, who were struggling to keep pace with 15% annual health insurance premium increases, and added consumer voices such as AARP. The coalition was dubbed HealthCHECK.

Competition for media attention during Florida’s legislative session was intense and the time frame short (just 60 days), but we quickly positioned the issue as a top consumer concern, even engaging the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to deliver our messages. We also trained YES, a team of Humana employees, to serve as community spokespersons for presentations to local groups.

The Results:

Successful passage of the “Health Care Consumers Right to Know Act.” The movement also garnered national attention. The Detroit Free Press contacted the Coalition after the CEO of General Motors talked about HealthCHECK in a speech to business leaders. Florida HealthCHECK became the model for similar legislation in Ohio, Texas, and Illinois.