Overview: The health insurance industry created a crisis for patients and providers when they began routinely denying claims for air medical services, which resulted in surprise medical bills. In response, Congress considered multiple pieces of legislation that benefitted the multi-billion-dollar insurance companies to the detriment of patients and the air medical industry. JPA worked with a medical transport provider to generate a campaign targeting influential legislators about the critical role of the industry in saving lives and how proposed legislation would limit patient access and exacerbate the rural health crisis.
Approach: JPA developed an earned media campaign using deskside briefings, rapid response and targeted pitching, satellite media tours and multiple locally authored op-eds. To support government relations activities, JPA developed a series of collateral materials explaining the role of air medical services in the 38 states, including one-pagers about when and how air ambulances are deployed, polling information detailing consumer support for air medical services, sample EOBs to explain charges to patients and specific packets for Members of Congress’ state offices. At critical moments, JPA deployed an aggressive paid media campaign featuring radio and television commercials on key outlets in Washington, DC, and more than a dozen states.
Results: The program garnered 2,178 media placements, forestalled insurers’ efforts to enact harmful legislation and, most importantly, forced a compromise legislative solution that protected patients’ and our client’s interests. In late 2020, legislation approved by the industry was enacted into law.
