Latest FAU Poll Finds It’s Harder for Hispanics to Afford Healthcare but More Covered Since Obamacare Enacted
MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Hellegaard
561-319-2233, jhellegaard@fau.edu
BOCA RATON, Fla. (May 6, 2016) – An increasing number of Hispanics are finding it harder to afford healthcare and
the percentage of those without any health insurance is up slightly over a year ago,
but a majority still have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare)
and for the first time more women are insured than men, according to a new survey
by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI).
More than 43 percent of respondents in the April poll said it is harder for them to afford healthcare, up almost 6 percentage points from a similar survey in March 2015. Only 13.7 percent said it was easier, down more than 9 percent from last year. Those saying they had no health insurance increased 5 percent, from 7.8 percent in March 2015 to 12.8 percent last month.
However, Hispanics have still benefited overall since the enactment of the ACA, resulting in 4 million adults gaining coverage, according to the Department of Health & Human Services’ March 2016 report.
According to the BEPI survey, it appears Hispanic women are increasing their access to health insurance through the ACA with 52 percent of females saying they have government healthcare coverage compared to only 23.3 percent of males. For the first time since BEPI’s healthcare survey of Hispanics was initially taken in September 2014, the number of females with no health insurance (11.2 percent) was lower than males (14.4 percent).
An analysis published in late 2015 by consulting firm McKinsey & Company found premiums for the lowest-cost ACA plans are expected to increase by a median of 10-13 percent in 2016. The report also found that more than half of the governmentsponsored nonprofit insurance co-ops have now failed, leaving more than 750,000 families and individuals scrambling for new health insurance.
“The increased healthcare costs compared to last year is probably making it harder for Hispanics to afford health insurance,” said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., director of the BEPI. “The same applies to the increase in the number of uninsured.”
Political partisanship appeared to play a part in influencing respondents’ opinions on healthcare topics. Republicans and Independents were significantly more likely (50 and 53 percent, respectively) to think it was harder to afford health insurance as compared with Democrats (41 percent).
Overall, 51 percent of Hispanics gave Obamacare a favorable rating, compared with 35 percent unfavorable. Among Republicans, Obamacare scored 42 percent favorable and 46 percent unfavorable, while Democrats gave it 54 percent favorable and 30 percent unfavorable and Independents gave it the most positive rating at 60 percent favorable and 37 percent unfavorable.
“Despite increasing cost pressures, Hispanics are benefiting from the new provisions and consumer protections established by the Affordable Care Act,” Escaleras said. “The politics of health care reform is an important issue in this election cycle. Candidates should consider that repealing the law would result in taking away something tangible for a large and growing group of voters.”
The poll was conducted nationally April 1-30. The polling sample consisted of 500 Hispanics with a margin of error of +/- 4.33 percent and a 95 percent confidence level.
For more information, contact Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., at 561-297-1312 or BEPI@fau.edu, or visit www.business.fau.edu/bepi.
- FAU -
About FAU BEPI:
The Florida Atlantic University Business and Economic Polling Initiative conducts surveys on business, economic, political and social issues with a focus on Hispanic attitudes and opinions at regional, state and national levels via planned monthly national surveys. The initiative subscribes to the American Association of Public Opinion Research and is a resource for public and private organizations, academic research and media outlets. In addition, the initiative is designed to contribute to the educational mission of the University by providing students with valuable opportunities to enhance their educational experience by designing and carrying out public opinion research.
About Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate
College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.