To reach more Americans this open enrollment season, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced a first-of-its-kind partnership between HHS and the electronic cash transactions company PayNearMeto reach financially underserved and other cash-preferring consumers. 

 Secretary Burwell joined PayNearMe and 7-Eleven, Inc. leadership in announcing the partnership at a 7-Eleven store in Washington D.C., where PayNearMe demonstrated how consumers would receive receipts printed with information on Open Enrollment. 

 "Leveraging developments from technology companies like PayNearMe helps us to reach our consumers where they are, with the information they need to sign up and re-enroll in quality, affordable care through the Health Insurance Marketplace," said Secretary Burwell. "With this partnership, we are using digital platforms to place Open Enrollment information in the hands of consumers who need it."

During this year's Open Enrollment period, all PayNearMe receipts printed at 7,800 7-Eleven stores nationwide will include a special announcement that informs consumers about upcoming Affordable Care Act deadlines and encourages them to explore beneficial options such as tax credits and newly available plans at HealthCare.gov.

Putting these reminders at the bottom of PayNearMe receipts will help get health coverage information into the hands of traditionally hard-to-reach consumers. Because PayNearMe receipts serve as a consumer's proof of payment for important items such as rent, loans and utilities, they are more likely to be inspected and retained than a traditional receipt.

In addition to rent, loans and utilities, PayNearMe also allows cash-preferring consumers to pay with cash for online purchases and more at participating 7-Eleven stores and other retail stores across the U.S. Once a payment is accepted, the business being paid is notified immediately and the consumer receives a receipt as proof of payment. 

"Banked or unbanked, cash or plastic - no matter what your preference, everyone can benefit from affordablehealth care," said Danny Shader, PayNearMe's founder and chief executive officer. "By partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services, we can help generate awareness of this open enrollment process among consumers."

About PayNearMe

PayNearMe is the electronic cash transaction network that enables consumers to pay rent and utility bills, repay loans, buy tickets, make online purchases and do much more with cash. According to the FDIC, 28 percent (34 million) of U.S. households are financially underserved[i]. Consumers can conveniently make payments on their own schedule and in their own neighborhood in less than a minute at one of over 17,000 trusted locations including 7-Eleven®, Family Dollar® and ACE Cash Express® stores across the United States.

Statement by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Senate Confirmation of Dr. Vivek Murthy as U.S. Surgeon General

Courtesy HHS.gov 

"I commend the Senate for their vote and am pleased Dr. Vivek Murthy will become our nation's next Surgeon General. His clinical, academic and research experience, along with his consistent leadership on public health and prevention in the United States and abroad, are a true testament to his abilities to successfully serve as America's doctor.  I look forward to working with Dr. Murthy in the days ahead as we promote prevention and wellness and work to support policies and strategies that help Americans maintain and improve their health. Dr. Murthy will lead the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a team of 6,800 officers dedicated to protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of our nation.  He will also play a critical role in our work to address other challenges facing our nation's public health, including our ongoing efforts to reduce obesity and smoking rates and help keep Americans healthy this flu season."  

Dr. Murthy's Bio:

Vivek Murthy, M.D., M.B.A. is an attending physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School where he is an internal medicine hospitalist. He is also co-founder and president of Doctors for America, a grassroots organization of more than 15,000 doctors and medical students in 50 states who are working to build a high-quality, affordable health care system for all Americans.

In 2011 Dr. Murthy was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health where he has worked on developing the National Prevention Strategy. He has lectured widely on health care reform and physician advocacy, and his writings and research have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA; Science; the Journal of the National Cancer Institute; and The Washington Post. Dr. Murthy's past research has focused on the participation of women and minorities in cancer clinical trials. Dr. Murthy is also the co-founder and chairman of Epernicus, LLC and its subsidiary TrialNetworks, which build social networking platforms for life sciences companies and clinical trials.

Dr. Murthy received his B.A. from Harvard University, his M.D. from the Yale School of Medicine, his M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management, and his residency training in internal medicine from Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is a native of Miami, Florida, and currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts.