Poll: Young Hispanic Adults Making Key Family Health Care Decisions 10/7/2003
From: Tarsis Lopez of Solucient, 847-440-9619 or tlopez@solucient.com EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 7 -- Half of Hispanic adults who make health care decisions for their family -- such as choosing a health plan -- are between the ages of 18 and 34 and represent a demographic that is a key economic force in the health care industry, according to survey findings released today by Solucient. "Health care marketers must continue meeting the needs and interests of these Hispanics in their community in order to successfully market to this demographic," said Ruth Colby, senior vice president of Planning and Marketing at Solucient. The survey, which queried nearly 550 respondents of Hispanic origin or descent, was conducted by Solucient and is part of a larger poll of health care consumerism trends nationwide. A key finding in the survey suggests an opportunity for health insurers to target young Hispanic adults who have not yet built strong loyalties to their health plans. While many Hispanics continue to lack basic health insurance, the increasing numbers of young Hispanic adults that do have coverage are relatively new to their health plans. Young Hispanic adults were 56 percent more likely than all adults surveyed to have been with their current health plan for only one to two years. When asked to identify areas of their health plan they were most satisfied with, young insured Hispanic adults stated customer service, types of services offered, and cost. Over 18 percent of young Hispanic respondents indicated they were uninsured. A report released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week said the nation's uninsured rate was 15.2 percent. Among other survey findings: -- Young Hispanic adults are at least twice as likely as non-Hispanic adults to use the Internet to visit their preferred hospital's Web site (11 percent) and to research ratings of local hospitals and health plans (12 percent). -- Nearly 40 percent of Hispanic respondents overall indicated they gather health information via radio and 25 percent said physician offices. Hispanic respondents also pointed to the Internet (18 percent) and family (10 percent) as important information sources. Methodology The survey, part of a Solucient survey of 20,000 health care consumers on a number of health care consumerism topics, queried over 500 respondents who identified themselves as being of Hispanic origin or descent. ------ About Solucient Solucient is the leading source of health care business intelligence. The company provides comprehensive, results-oriented information to drive business growth, manage costs, and help deliver quality care. Solucient's expertise and proven solutions enable providers, payers, employers, and pharmaceutical companies to achieve results and realize value. For more information, visit http://www.solucient.com. |