Through our long experience working with state health advocates, Community Catalyst created a framework for successful advocacy that outlines specific capacities on which we focus our coaching and support: 1) building coalitions; 2) generating grassroots support; 3) analyzing health policy research; 4) designing and implementing health policy campaigns; 5) crafting media and communications strategy; and 6) fundraising.

Based on our experience and observation, we knew that smart and committed state advocates could make important contributions to crafting good state health policy. Now, an article in the September 2011 Health Affairs provides proof.

In 2007, as part of its long-standing mission to develop policies and programs to expand health coverage in the U.S., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) established Consumer Voices for Coverage (CVC) with Community Catalyst as the national program office. RWJF initially funded 12 state-based advocacy organizations, each consisting of a network of consumer groups across their respective states. Each grantee designated a state leadership team, then established and orchestrated common objectives, policy priorities and coordinated advocacy campaigns.

As part of the initial program, RWJF commissioned Mathematica Policy Research to monitor and evaluate CVC across the six categories. The results show that the advocates achieved amazing success. According to the article, 62 percent of policymakers from the 12 CVC states said consumer groups increased their influence during the course of the program, demonstrating the significant impact that targeted foundation investment can have in the realm of consumer advocacy.

It is all too easy for average constituents’ voices to be lost in a sea of louder ones with larger, better-funded stages and megaphones, but through strategic outreach, state and local advocates can amplify consumers’ voices. That the CVC advocates were able to achieve across-the-board success in diverse states demonstrates that regardless of the exact topic, communication channel used or surrounding political environment, hearing from consumers results in better health policy.

Community Catalyst and its network of state consumer health advocates in over 40 states, stand ready to work with state policymakers to assure successful implementation of the ACA.

You can read the full report here: http://www.rwjf.org/pr/productpreview.jsp?id=72755

The State of North Dakota recently concluded a round of 11 stakeholder meetings in four cities. The goal of these meetings was to gather input, ideas and opinions from North Dakotans on the development of a Health Benefit Exchange.

Meeting facilitators asked questions like: Who should run the Exchange, the state or the federal government? Would you like the choice of purchasing health insurance inside and outside of the Exchange?

Meetings were broken into four stakeholder groups: health care providers, insurance agents/producers, insurance company representatives, and a combined group of consumers, employers and government representatives.

West Virginians for Affordable Health Care has developed a workshop and video and educated 230 people in the last two months on the ACA. The 230 will educate others at their workplace, family or community. To see the videos, check out the web site www.wvahc.org We have also used the Kaiser video, Health Reform Hits Mainstreet. It has been a big hit at all workshops, and we highly recommend it as a short, simple and fun overview of the ACA.

I run a grant-funded project in Kansas to work with other organizations to ensure that consumers are appropriately represented as we implement the Affordable Care Act. I'm interested in how other states are providing education/outreach to the public on ACA and health reform, particularly from a consumer perspective.

Executive Order 11-04 signed by Governor Lincoln Chafee creates the Rhode Island Healthcare Reform Commission. This commission is made up of nearly 200 public members representing nearly every constituency group with an interest in health care and the implementation of reform. Commission membership is available at http://www.ltgov.ri.gov/rihrc/index.php

On May 11, NASHP hosted a webinar on building partnerships between state officials and consumer advocates. NASHP’s Cathy Hess and Community Catalyst’s Sue Sherry provided commentary on the components of effective partnerships between these groups and various opportunities to build partnerships in health care reform implementation. The webinar also featured presentations from a state official from Virginia and consumer advocate in Louisiana on how they’ve been able to engage in effective partnerships in their states. The webinar slides are attached.

You may also view the archived webinar here: http://nashp.org/archives/2597