A state
agency in Oregon that works to increase the number of people
with health insurance is sporting a new logo these days,
thanks to LogoBee's designers.
The agency, the
Office of Private Health Partnerships, won a Logo Bee "Design
Makeover Contest" for non-profits. The office received a new
name on January 1 and, thus, needed a new logo. It asked for
help communicating its work in bridging the gap between public
and private sector health insurance programs.
OPHP attempts to make insurance affordable by subsidizing
monthly premiums for lower-income individuals and designing
affordable health plans for businesses. In the U.S., most
people with health insurance get it through an employer. But a
significant percentage of small businesses don't offer
insurance; also, some workers don't qualify for the benefits
as part-time employees.
About 17 percent of Oregonians lack health insurance. That's
more than 600,000 adults and children.
"As a state agency, we have a limited budget for marketing and
a limited amount of time in-house to work on projects like
this" said Howard "Rocky" King, head administrator of the OPHP.
"We were thrilled to win a logo design and were even more
grateful to be able to work with a professional design team."
The office had considered a logo that included a bridge but
hadn't captured a "look." It also wanted something with style.
"Most agency logo designs are conservative and governmental-looking"
said Bill Banaszek of the OPHP. "They don't tend to reflect
the missions of the agencies and only reflect the fact that
they're government offices."
Because OPHP targets family households, small business
employers and employees, it also needed something that would
appeal to the public.
"The abstract bridge does a great job of communicating our
efforts to narrow the gap between public and private sectors
and help make health insurance more affordable to Oregonians,"
concluded King.
THE BATTLE FOR HEALTH INSURANCE
Due to the increasing costs of health insurance premiums, the
rate of uninsured is on the rise in Oregon and the U.S.
despite the programs and efforts of the OPHP. The National
Coalition on Health Care has cited that in 2005, employer
health insurance premiums increased by 9.2 percent, nearly
three times the rate of inflation.
However, the OPHP has been working to reach out to the public
and private sectors creating awareness and alternatives. One
such alternative is the Family Health Insurance Assistance
Program, or FHIAP. It helps income-eligible families pay the
monthly premium for private health insurance. The office also
designed two "first time" health insurance plans for uninsured
small businesses of two to 50 employees. These plans are sold
by two private health insurance companies.
More information on the Office of Private Health Partnerships
can be found on their website at
http://www.ophp.oregon.gov/
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