Cover Oregon utilized key Latino marketing tactics under the guidance of Lara Media. However, healthcare for all Oregonians and Americans may change drastically due to the recent repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Market research has revealed that the Latino community experiences poorer health and less access to healthcare than other demographics.
According to Rudolf Results and Lara Media, Latinos in Oregon have the highest uninsured rates compared to any other demographic—57.6 percent of 406 respondents in one survey reported they had no healthcare coverage at all. Marketing strategies must focus on marginalized groups to ensure quality, affordable healthcare coverage for all Oregonians.
How Latino Marketing Can Help
Utilizing key media services that follow Latino outreach best practices is vital to a healthier overall state. In previous Lara Media research, researchers found that the Historical Perspective showcased similar low insurance rates amongst Latino populations. 201 of 234 respondents said cost was the biggest barrier when asked why they didn’t have health insurance. An additional 150 said it’s too difficult to access insurance, citing lack of education and information in Latino marketing campaigns.
Many survey-takers didn’t know what Cover Oregon entails, although 83 percent of participants were aware of Cover Oregon in general. The majority had seen advertisements for Cover Oregon in Spanish (80 percent), but healthcare is seen as too expensive. For many in the Latino marketing audience, both insurance and healthcare seems out or reach or necessary to postpone. Younger Latinos and males find it especially difficult to access healthcare.
Barriers to Overcome
One common complaint was a lack of translation quality in Latino marketing. Language is a significant obstacle, exacerbating the insurance process. Insurance companies and coverage organizations offering bilingual experts is a natural answer to this problem. Respondents repeatedly said that when there was bilingual human help and community education, understanding insurance and enrollment became immensely simpler. “Enrolling with bilingual help was easy,” was the common reply.
For companies utilizing Latino marketing, it’s important to note that all respondents said health insurance is “very important.” However, costs makes access troublesome. When compared to food, rent and other expenses, healthcare isn’t a priority. Many respondents accessed community clinics but do not have catastrophe coverage. Lack of community presence is a stumbling block for many Latino marketing campaigns, and mediocre online presence might be worse than no presence at all.
Solutions
An extensive marketing outreach campaign was designed and conducted. After the initial analysis was completed, an inclusive and culturally responsive set of tactics were planned and developed. All of the components of the campaign complemented each other. The campaign included media, community outreach, tag line, messaging, songs, collateral, etc., which were created and developed from their language of origin.
Cover Oregon received hundreds of daily calls from Latinos inquiring about the program after the campaign began and months after it ended. The increase in some eligible insured Latinos reached more than 90 percent. Among all nine states that used private marketplaces, Oregon was number one in Latino sign-ups due to the execution of the marketing campaign.