NJ Health Insurance Co-op Spreading Word About Obamacare Open Enrollment
By Mike DeNardo
HAMILTON, N.J. (CBS) -- With the annual open enrollment period on healthcare.gov beginning Saturday, an upstart New Jersey company was using a grassroots effort to attract subscribers.
Today, at the Hamilton train station in suburban Trenton, representatives of Health Republic Insurance wore purple shirts as they handed out brochures and reusable shopping bags to commuters.
"We are really focusing on getting the information out to individuals, consumers who are looking for a health care option for this open enrollment season," said Argelys Morel, a member engagement and outreach associate for Health Republic, a nonprofit cooperative created last year with a federal loan under the Affordable Care Act.
Morel says that what sets the company apart is that its board will include members of the co-op.
Competing against big insurers (including Horizon and AmeriHealth), Health Republic signed up 4,000 New Jersey residents last year -- a small slice of the market.
