Information deluge on Obamacare begins

The impending start of the federal health care law mandate is a couple months away, but people may already be hearing ads and seeing information on what to do.

Group Health Cooperative already has radio ads airing, saying they want to provide a public service to share information about the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. They also have a website, ghcbettertogether.com, which is providing information on the ACA.

“I think it could get muddy,” said GHC CEO Kevin Hayden. “Our approach has been very simple. It’s without politics, without spin. We’re communicating the facts and we’re trying to put it at a communication level that everybody can understand.”

GHC has applied to be a provider in the upcoming federal marketplaces, so they have a stake in making sure people understand how to sign up. But they aren’t the only ones with a perspective.

“The advocacy groups are going to duke it out in the streets with their messages,” said Donna Friedsam, Health Policy Programs director at the UW Population Health Institute.

The liberal group Protect Your Care announced a planned campaign in Wisconsin, partially to battle conservative groups, like FreedomWorks, campaigning against Obamacare.

Amid the mixed and very early messaging, here’s what Friedsam said people should know.

“The bottom line is people need to understand that as of Oct. 1 there’s going to be availability of coverage for a lot more people,” said Friedsam. “They can connect to that coverage through a website called healthcare.gov.”

On that website right now, you can sign up for an account so you will be ready for enrollment in October, but there won’t be information on the costs of plans until Oct. 1 as well.

Information deluge on Obamacare begins