Targeting of Enrollment Assistance Resources in Health Insurance Television Advertising: A Comparison of Spanish- Vs. English-Language Ads. Issue 8 (2nd August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kemmick Pintor, Jessie; Alberto, Cinthya K.; Arnold, Kimberly T.; Bandara, Sachini; Baum, Laura M.; Fowler, Erika Franklin; Gollust, Sarah E.; Niederdeppe, Jeff; Barry, Colleen L.
• Is Part Of: Journal of health communication. Volume 25:Issue 8(2020)
• Page Start: 605
• Page End: 612
• Publication Date: 2020-08-02
• Subjects: Communication in medicine -- Periodicals; 610.14
• DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2020.1818150
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1081-0730

Abstract

Abstract : Latinx adults, especially immigrants, face higher uninsurance and lower awareness of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) provisions and resources compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Television advertising of ACA health plans has directed many consumers to application assistance and enrollment, but little is known about how ads targeted Latinx consumers. We used Kantar Media/CMAG data from the Wesleyan Media Project to assess Spanish- vs. English-language ad targeting strategies and to assess which enrollment assistance resources (in person/telephone vs. online) were emphasized across three Open Enrollment Periods (OEP) (2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16). We examined differences in advertisement sponsorship and volume of Spanish- versus English-language ads across the three OEPs. State-based Marketplaces sponsored 47% of Spanish-language airings; insurance companies sponsored 55% of English-language airings. The proportion of Spanish-language airings increased over time (8.8% in OEP1, 11.1% in OEP2, 12.0% in OEP3, p <.001). Spanish-language airings had 49% lower (95%CI: 0.50, 0.53) and 2.20 times higher odds (95%CI: 2.17, 2.24) of mentioning online and telephone/in-person enrollment assistance resources, respectively. While there was a significant decrease in mention of telephone/in-person assistance over time for English-language airings, these mentions increased significantly in Spanish-language airings. Future research should examine the impact of the drastic federal cuts to ACA outreach and marketing.