Lexington, Ky. (August 17, 2021) –Kentucky Association of Health Plans (KAHP), the trade association representing all carriers offering health coverage in Kentucky, today announced the fifth phase in the organization’s campaign to improve vaccine acceptance and access in the Commonwealth.
Throughout the Kentucky State Fair kicking off Aug. 19, KAHP will be giving away a free unlimited ride wristband and a $20 gift card (*while supplies last*) when attendees 12 and older go to the West Wing Health Pavilion to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot. A choice of vaccines will be offered at the Fair.
Medicaid members may also be eligible to receive an incentive offered by their health plan in addition to the KAHP giveaway.
The state’s vaccine dashboard shows 2,419,442 Kentuckians have received at least one dose of a vaccine. That is 54% of the state’s population and 66% of its adult population. 12-to-15 year-olds recently became eligible to receive the vaccine.
“Throughout our ‘Shots Across the Bluegrass’ campaign, we have really tried to break down barriers and offer the vaccine in non-traditional environments because we have found it puts people a little more at ease who might otherwise be hesitant,” said Tom Stephens, Executive Director of KAHP. “The incentives are certainly attractive, but there will also be medical professionals there to answer questions and provide trusted information.”
KAHP is getting the word out about the promotion through radio advertisements and targeted digital ads around the Fairgrounds.
Kentucky’s health plans are employing a range of tactics to promote vaccine access and acceptance.
In June, KAHP visited Mercer, Montgomery, Estill, Nicholas, and Rockcastle Counties for a “Hottest Concerts” ticket giveaway at county health departments. KAHP visited the Lee, Owsley, Breathitt, Magoffin, and Leslie County Health Departments and gave away $100 Visa gift cards to those who received the shot. KAHP held their “Shots Across the Bluegrass” Live Broadcast & Pop-up Vaccination Clinic Tour with Kentucky Sports Radio, with stops in Barren, Green, McCracken, Clay, and Laurel Counties.
“The promotions have been encouraging,” said Stephens. “During the giveaways, health department directors told us it was the busiest they had been since the initial vaccine rollout. It feels great to see and hear it, but we’re not taking our foot off the gas and will be announcing subsequent phases in the weeks ahead.”
Medicaid plans in Kentucky are also employing a variety of tactics such as digital and radio ads, robust member incentives, transportation coordination for plan members, pop-up clinics, clinics staffed by bilingual personnel, homebound vaccination visits, text and email campaigns, yard signs, billboards, outbound calls to members prioritized by risk tier, personalized assistance from advocates with sign-ups and digital site navigation, direct mail, and follow-up on second dose appointments based on claims data.
About Kentucky Association of Health Plans:
Kentucky Association of Health Plans is the trade organization representing the Kentucky health insurance community. KAHP is a leader on issues that strengthen the accessibility, value, and quality of health care in the Commonwealth. Members include Aetna, Anthem, CareSource, Humana, Passport, UnitedHealth Group and WellCare. For more information visit: www.kahp.org or follow @kyhealthplans on Twitter.
