The state of Vermont is getting more than $170 million in federal grants to help set up the state’s new health care exchange, known as Vermont Health Connect. Almost $3 million is being spent on an education and outreach campaign, developed by a Washington, D.C. public relations firm known as GMMB, and this campaign includes money to buy TV, radio and newspaper ads.
The outreach campaign also includes half a million dollars to help influence media coverage about Vermont Health Connect. The idea is to meet with health care reporters and editorial writers to talk up the beneficial aspects of the exchange and to create a story bank that the reporters can draw from.
Political analyist Eric Davis talks with Vermont Edition host Bob Kinzel about the state's PR effort associated with Vermont Health Connect.
Disclosure: GMMB selected Kinzel as one of the ten health care reporters that they wanted to influence and their report says that Kinzel's stories point out too many problems associated with the exchange.
