Cover Oregon Makes Health Care Choices Accessible

Dec. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- Oregon is one of the first states to create a Health Insurance Exchange as part of the nationwide effort in the United States to make it easy for individuals, families and employers to find the right health insurance for their needs. The goal of Oregon's program, called Cover Oregon (http://www.coveroregon.com), is to reach the 600,000 uninsured Oregonians and provide better choices for those who already have coverage.

The Cover Oregon website features an ongoing process of storytelling, represented by a series of portraits by photographer Lars Topelmann. (http://larstopelmann.com/) To date, Topelmann has photographed four people for the website launch: An organic berry farmer, a construction company owner, a food cart owner, and a business consultant. He also filmed interviews in which the subjects talked about their health insurance needs and concerns.

"I was working to bring a personal face to the Cover Oregon website. With such great subjects to shoot, it was easy to find the warmth in the image," Topelmann said.

Sandstrom Partners is at the helm of the branding for Cover Oregon. "It was important to illustrate the diverse needs of health insurance. Real people sharing their experiences was essential to establish trust and create unity around the idea that Cover Oregon is for all Oregonians. Lars translated the informality of the interviews into imagery that showed our honest dialogue about health insurance. He has the ability to create beautiful, engaging portraits of everyday people with such authenticity," said Robin Olson of Sandstrom Partners.

Oregonians can begin the process of reviewing and comparing plans and carriers and enrollment starting in October, 2013. Coverage on those plans begins in January, 2014. In the meantime, Cover Oregon invites people to use a web-based calculator to learn if they qualify for financial aid and stay informed about health care issues locally and nationally.