Trusted local messengers are helping Medicaid and other healthcare programs increase enrollment awareness, improve understanding of re-enrollment eligibility and instructions, and reach underserved communities more effectively than traditional advertising alone.
Across states like New Mexico, North Dakota, New Jersey, and Illinois, XOMAD has partnered with public health organizations to deliver localized enrollment education through community-rooted social media creators.
As states continue navigating post-pandemic Medicaid renewals, communication has become one of the biggest barriers to maintaining coverage. According to KFF, more than 25 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage during the unwinding process, with many disenrollments tied to procedural issues like missed paperwork or outdated contact information. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has specifically encouraged states and partners to work with “trusted messengers and influencers” to improve renewal outreach efforts.
Why Trusted Messengers Matter in Public Health
In its coverage of XOMAD’s New Mexico Medicaid campaign, Ad Age recognized that states face challenges communicating with current or potential Medicaid enrollees because of complex (and changing) eligibility criteria or finite time and resources.
The main takeaway from Ad Age is that public health communication works best when information comes from voices people already trust. Traditional outreach often struggles to reach rural residents, tribal communities, younger audiences, multilingual households, and historically underserved populations. Trusted local creators help bridge that gap by delivering healthcare information in ways that feel culturally relevant, localized, and actionable.
Medicaid Outreach in Action
New Mexico Medicaid Renewal
After pandemic-era protections ended, the New Mexico Health Care Authority partnered with XOMAD to educate Spanish-speaking residents, Native American communities, and rural populations across New Mexico about Medicaid renewals.
The campaign activated 89 local creators and reached 84% of New Mexico adults, including 91% of adult Spanish-speaking residents and 67% of adult Native American residents. Notably, counties with the highest exposure to creator content also saw some of the strongest increases in Medicaid reapplications, and much higher reapplication increases than the rest of the state.
The results of this program earned the Ad Age Gold Medal for Healthcare Marketing Impact Award for Social Media Campaign of the Year and unlocked emergency funding for a new round of Medicaid/SNAP awareness in 2026.
Read more: Renew NM: Mobilizing Local Messengers to Increase Medicaid Re-Enrollment
North Dakota Medicaid Expansion Outreach
In 2022, the North Dakota Hospital Association partnered with XOMAD to educate tribal communities, low-income residents, and marginalized populations about Medicaid Expansion eligibility and enrollment.
The campaign reached nearly 60% of North Dakota residents and generated almost 29K engagements around Medicaid education and enrollment resources.
Read more: North Dakota Enlists XOMAD to Educate Marginalized Communities About Medicaid
Get Covered Illinois and Get Covered New Jersey
XOMAD also has a track record of driving enrollment beyond Medicaid. Having supported both Get Covered Illinois and Get Covered New Jersey to support healthcare enrollment outreach statewide through localized trusted messengers and community-based digital storytelling.
- Get Covered Illinois: The creators reached 83.6% of adult residents in the Chicago DMA, including 95% of Spanish-speaking residents.
- Get Covered New Jersey: Launched for regular enrollment and expanded to a spring 2024 special period, with 6.48% of comments showing intent to purchase insurance.
The Future of Medicaid and Healthcare Enrollment Communication
Healthcare enrollment outreach is increasingly moving toward community-driven digital engagement. As states continue adapting to renewal challenges and healthcare communication gaps, trusted local messengers are becoming critical infrastructure for public health outreach.
For agencies trying to improve enrollment awareness, maintain trust, and reach underserved populations at scale, localized creator partnerships are proving effective because people are more likely to act when information comes from voices they already know.
Learn more about XOMAD and our healthcare and public affairs campaigns.