With A Nod To Billy Joel, N.Y. Brands Obamacare Marketplace

Some folks like to get away,
Take a holiday from the neighborhood.
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood.
But I’m takin’ a Greyhound on the Hudson River line.
I’m in a New York state of mind

… er 鈥 make that “New York State of Health.” 听Playing off the title of Billy , the officials running New York’s听health insurance exchange announced Tuesday that they have chosen as the brand name of their new online marketplace.

鈥淲e wanted a name that was distinctive and unique to New York and is emotional and not just functional description,鈥 said Leo Mamorsky, executive group account director with DDB New York 听which is handling advertising 听for the exchange.

In their

YouTube ad, there are scenes of Manhattan, Niagara Falls and people in rural and suburban settings. Joel鈥檚 song, though, is not on the video. Joel grew up in Hicksville, N.Y., and lives in the Hamptons.

New York is the latest state attempting to brand the new marketplaces. The marketplaces, one of the key ways the health care law听extends coverage to the uninsured,听open for enrollment Oct. 1, selling policies that will take effect Jan. 1. New York exchange officials announced last month that 听would be about half the price they are today for individuals who buy their own insurance.

鈥淚n creating a name, we wanted it to be meaningful, memorable and capture the essence of what it is to be a New Yorker 鈥 that unique 鈥榗an do鈥 attitude and state of mind,鈥 said Donna Frescatore, New York 听State of Health鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淲e鈥檙e confident the 鈥楴Y State of Health鈥 name and campaign will inspire New Yorkers who are uninsured or underinsured to explore the options and choose the plan that fits their needs.鈥

Despite being a fan favorite for decades, “New York State of Mind” was never a hit song and was never released as a single. Joel famously played the song at The Concert For New York City,听the October 2001 benefit for the New York City Fire and Police Departments and the loved ones of first responders killed during the terrorist attack on Sept 11. He reprised that theme, playing it during his Dec. 12, 2012 concert at Madison Square Garden to raise money for victims of Hurricane Sandy, where he changed the lyrics to include places like “Breezy Point.”

New York officials said听Joel was not consulted听about their marketing effort.听They said they had no plans to use Joel or his song in their听ads.

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