AUGUSTA — When enrollment in health care exchange reopens Saturday, the Maine groups that will encourage the uninsured to sign up say they have a powerful resource: the voices of the tens of thousands of residents who have already enrolled.

The first open sign-up period for the Affordable Care Act brought out those who were motivated to get coverage because perhaps they had lost theirs or faced an illness. But finding those who remain uninsured — whether by choice or by a lack of knowledge — will prove more difficult this time around, health advocates say.

The stories of the newly insured may be the way to attract those hard-to-reach segments of the population.

“One of the most powerful things is to hear from someone who lives in your area and looks like you saying, ‘I got a good deal, and I’m covered, and I feel better,'” said Wendy Wolf, president and CEO of the Maine Health Access Foundation. The group is launching a $500,000 marketing campaign targeting those who signed up last time and need to re-examine their options and those who remain without coverage.

Television ads featuring testimonials from people across the state who bought coverage on the exchange will emphasize that 90 percent of Mainers who signed up received a tax credit to help pay for their plans. Wolf’s group will also run online ads and plaster posters on the side of buses in Portland and Lewiston.

More than 35,000 residents in Maine, one of 36 states relying on the federal health care exchange, gained coverage under the health care law, according to a Gallup poll released in August. The poll indicated that the rate of uninsured people dropped from about 16 percent last year — or roughly 209,300 people — to slightly more than 13 percent through midyear 2014 — or about 172,900 Mainers. The state’s Bureau of Insurance does not keep track of how many residents are uninsured.

Emily Brostek, executive director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care, said many of those who didn’t get coverage during the last open enrollment period were unaware of the options available to help them pay for it.

“There’s a real knowledge gap,” said Brostek, whose organization runs a helpline for people seeking health care. “It’s not the case that they weren’t interested. They just assumed they couldn’t afford it.”

Because Maine didn’t expand Medicaid under the heath care law, an estimated 24,000 residents have fallen into a gap where they don’t qualify for Medicaid coverage or tax credits to help them buy private insurance, possibly putting the plans out of reach for some.

Another potential motivator to get coverage this time around will be bigger penalties. A person who didn’t have coverage last year had to pay either 1 percent of their household’s adjusted gross income or $95, whichever is greater. This year, an uninsured person will have to pay 2 percent of their household income or $325.

Jake Grindle, the head navigator with Western Maine Community Action who’s leading a team of about 75 “navigators” across the state, said they plan to attend as many public events as possible and “talk wherever people will listen” to capture those who haven’t yet signed up for coverage.

But they’re also relying on those who they helped enroll successfully last time to spread the word.

“One of the biggest strengths that I think we’re going to have is the word of mouth from the really impressive amount of people that we did manage to reach last year,” Grindle said.

Five things you need to know

The enrollment period on the federal health care exchange begins Saturday and ends Feb. 15.

During the first enrollment session from October 2013 through March, more than 44,000 Mainers signed up for coverage on the exchange, nearly double the target set by the federal government. Now, the groups that will help Maine residents sign up for coverage hope to repeat that success.

Here are five things to know about the upcoming open enrollment session in Maine:

New choices and more competition

Maine residents will have more plans to choose from as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care joins the state’s federally run marketplace. The Massachusetts-based nonprofit insurance provider is offering four plans on the individual exchange. That also means more competition for the two companies already on the marketplace, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Maine Community Health Options. The latter is the state’s co-op that gobbled up more than 80 percent of the people who signed up during the first enrollment period.

Prices remain steady

Many Maine residents will see their premiums drop or stay the same. The average rate for Maine Health Community Options plans decreased by 0.8 percent, according to the Maine Bureau of Insurance. For Anthem plans, the average premium rate declined by 1.1 percent, the bureau said.

Re-examining options

The federal government has developed an auto-enroll option that allows those who already have coverage through the exchange to remain in their plans, but Maine health care groups are urging residents to take another look at their options. Advocates say people may need to update their financial information or other details to ensure they’re getting the right amount of subsidies. Also, several more plans are offered with the addition of Harvard Pilgrim on the exchange this year.

More help available

More people throughout Maine will be available to assist residents in signing up for coverage. About 75 staff and volunteers will be trained as navigators throughout the state, up from 65 last year, said Jake Grindle, health services navigator for Western Maine Community Action. The organization also added one agency to the network that will be helping Maine residents with coverage. The addition of Penquis, which covers Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, means that navigators will have office locations in all 16 counties, Grindle said. Navigators are already signing people up for appointments for when the enrollment session opens.

Once again, Maine lobstermen can get help figuring out their options through the Maine Lobsterman’s Association. Last year, the group had one navigator and this year will have a second working part time to help fishermen and lobsterman get coverage, said April Gilmore, the group’s navigator. Gilmore said they plan to offer evening hours to accommodate lobstermen who spend the day at sea.

More people looking for coverage

Thousands of people who have coverage through MEGA Life & Health Insurance off the exchange will need to choose new plans soon. Roughly 3,700 MEGA customers’ plans will discontinue at the end of the year and about 3,130 more will end in March. MEGA, which has pulled out of several states, said the declining customer base makes the plans no longer economically feasible. The Maine Bureau of Insurance says MEGA customers who don’t select plans on the exchange during the open enrollment period will likely be able to buy coverage within 60 days of their plans’ termination.

Affordable Care Act 101

We break down the ACA, what it does and what it requires you to do.

• Just the FAQs ma’am: Frequently asked questions and helpful answers
• An ACA Timeline: How health care coverage has evolved.
• Where to get assistance and more info: There are more sources of information and help understanding how the Affordable Care Act affects you.

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