The news of the passing of healthcare reform through Congress broke late Sunday night to completely mixed reviews. Some news stations praised Obama for completing a task begun a century ago while others shared harsh criticisms of a Congress that pushed legislation through without listening to the people. Personally, I was confused about the details of the 2,700+ page bill and how it would effect me and other Americans. I spent Monday morning reading article after article in a handful of publications and finished my search for information only slightly less confused.
After being kicked off of my mother's health insurance at age 19 (even though I am still a full-time student at Temple University) I'm excited to see that the bill will allow people like me to stay on their parents health insurance through age 26. That was one of the only details that I could clearly make out in the several articles that summarized the legislation, however.
Considering this, I was excited to hear in a PRWeek article by Jaimy Lee posted on Monday that the White House will launch a three phase, post-healthcare reform informational public relations campaign to answer the important question, "what's in it for me?" The campaign will aim to cut through all of the opinionated media noise surrounding this historic legislation to provide Americans with factual information about the bill in an attempt to change public opinion.
The first phase of the campaign will focus on the immediate aftermath of the legislation, the second will handle the seven months leading up to the crucial November midterm elections and the third will handle the years after as the legislation begins to take effect.
I'm excited to see the campaign play out in the next few years and I'm hopeful that it will remain informational without being tainted by propaganda. It will also be interesting to see how oppositional groups communicate their messages against the bill. How do you feel about the White House's new PR campaign? What would you like to see them do?
This was a great idea for a blog post considering the recent focus on the health care reform. I am so glad the White House is implementing a public relations campaign about the bill. I hope this helps many Americans.
ReplyDeleteThanks Evan! I agree with you, I hope that they help Americans understand the details of the bill. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I hope it works out with you and getting switched back on your Moms insurance!
ReplyDeleteI was worried because I read an article talking about how this could effect people with insurance and actually raise their premiums. I hope this isn't the case. I will be following this closely and hoping for the best for everyone! We all need to stay healthy and no one should be denied service because it costs too much.