SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–H Code, the only advertising entity reaching the U.S. Hispanic market at scale digitally, today releases The Hispanic Healthcare Report, the first resource exclusively revealing Hispanic preferences and attitudes towards the current state of healthcare in light of the COVID-19 outbreak and 2020 U.S. presidential election cycle. Through its Intelligence Center, H Code surveyed 1,200 English- and Spanish-Dominant Hispanics across the United States in order to gauge their opinion of healthcare and identify trends across current health coverage status, medical conditions, patient preferences, and attitudes toward pharmaceutical brands.
“The COVID-19 outbreak has exposed the urgency for institutions to better address the needs of the Hispanic population in this country, especially in regards to healthcare,” says Parker Morse, CEO and Founder of H Code. “With our Hispanic Healthcare Report, we aim to illuminate the core issues that this demographic is dealing with and provide knowledge on how to better serve them.”
The COVID-19 outbreak has disproportionately affected minority communities and in certain states, Hispanics make up a large number of confirmed cases in comparison to their percentage of the total population. According to the H Code survey, nearly 1/3 of respondents noted that they have ran into issues with accessing healthcare during the outbreak (39%), knew someone who has been unable to access healthcare because of COVID-19 (29%), and knew other Hispanics who have died as a result of not being able to afford healthcare (27%). The COVID-19 outbreak has led the majority of respondents to believe that the current administration is not doing its best to offer healthcare to American citizens (68%) and that the government needs to improve the healthcare system overall in light of it (89%).
The subject of healthcare costs is also likely to play a significant role in the upcoming election cycle and has been amplified by the COVID-19 outbreak. As it stands, 36% of respondents who currently don’t have healthcare cite affordability as their primary barrier. As Hispanics are expected to be the largest ethnic voting bloc during the general election, their vote has the potential to significantly influence the results. When it comes to their candidate choices, the majority of Hispanics (64%) believe that Vice-President Joe Biden will improve healthcare for Americans.
Although The Hispanic Healthcare Study showed that Hispanics are evenly split on what type of healthcare plan they would prefer the government to provide, 61% are currently in favor of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and even more think the United States should make healthcare available at a lower cost. Only 6% of U.S. Hispanics feel negatively about medicare, with the majority of the U.S. Hispanic community (68%) being in favor of its expansion.
The Hispanic Healthcare Study also revealed that Hispanics are highly in favor of telehealth services while abiding by stay-at-home orders. 61% are not visiting their doctors in-person and instead are choosing to video-chat or call them when they are in need. 1 in 2 Hispanics (53%) have access to a digital application in order to connect with their doctor or healthcare provider. Regardless of the coronavirus, U.S. Hispanics are confident that the medicines they need will be readily available. The majority (52%) are still going to the pharmacy themselves, followed by 34% who are having their prescriptions delivered to their residences.
Considering their spending power and vulnerability, Hispanic consumers are highly confident in major pharmaceutical brands for their healthcare needs. 43% of U.S. Hispanics feel more secure that a brand name medication will work over their generic counterparts. However, 72% admit to buying the generic brands instead because they are trying to save money or their main concern right now is that the medication works, indicating a high level of cost sensitivity when it comes to purchasing medication.
Data for The Hispanic Healthcare Report was collected through the H Code Intelligence Center, the company’s proprietary solution for collecting first-party data from over 32 million monthly Hispanic UVs and 5,000 Hispanic panelists across languages, levels of acculturation, and more.
To read the full Hispanic Healthcare Report, click here.
About H Code
Founded in 2015, H Code is the largest Hispanic digital media company in the U.S. and was formed to better connect brands and advertisers with Hispanics online across all channels. Ranked #1 in Hispanic digital reach, H Code influences this coveted audience at scale through digital and integrated campaigns, strategically bringing together targetable data, exclusive inventory, impactful creative, branded content, and more. Backed by its proprietary intelligence platform that derives insights from the largest Hispanic digital panel and influencer network, H Code delivers impactful, data-driven marketing strategies and enables brands to effectively reach and influence Hispanic audiences with unmatched authenticity.
