Most Hispanics have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act, but need more information about it to understand the law and how to enroll in the health insurance exchanges, HolaDoctor, a leading health website for Hispanics, says.
Sixty-seven percent of Hispanics surveyed by the website in February had a positive view of the ACA, which it referred to as Obamacare, saying that term is more widely recognized in the Hispanic community.
The overall positive view of Obamacare was observed despite the fact that 51% of all respondents and 53% of those without insurance did not know the government offers financial help to buy insurance.
"These statistics show us that the Hispanic community is open to Obamacare, but they still need more information in order to really understand the law and enroll in the health insurance exchanges," says Dirk Schroeder, executive vice president and chief medical officer of HolaDoctor.
The survey also shed light on the best ways to reach Hispanics through marketing and enrollment tactics; for example, 47% of respondents filled out the survey via a mobile device, demonstrating an opportunity for mobile outreach and marketing, HolaDoctor says.
Nearly half (49%) of all respondents without insurance who intended to buy through the health insurance marketplace planned on enrolling in person, while 31% reported intentions to enroll online. Finally, 49% of all respondents who did not have insurance and reported that they did not intend to buy any cited the price of the plans or their low incomes as reasons for not purchasing a plan.
The results show more attention should be focused on showing the value of paying for health insurance and presenting government subsidies as a way to assuage costs, HolaDoctor says.
The survey was conducted in Spanish and involved almost 700 respondents, of which those reporting not possessing legal residency were excluded from the survey analysis.
