1) The document discusses a study on the barriers preventing Mexican-Americans from obtaining health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. It identifies differences among generational groups (Millennials, Gen X/Boomers, older adults) in their motives for seeking insurance and barriers faced. 2) Millennials struggle finding reasons to seek insurance and have difficulties completing applications. Gen X/Boomers lacked knowledge about desired coverage options, while older adults faced challenges providing documentation and maintaining medications without coverage. 3) All groups demonstrated a lack of understanding about the Affordable Care Act and its requirements. The study utilized interviews with community health workers to understand these generational perspectives and identify how to improve outreach and assistance

1. Kunbi Adefesoˡ, Catherine Bobbittˡ, Birute Cepaityteˡ, Sarah Crawfordˡ, Kathy Plataˡ
University of Illinois at Chicagoˡ, Chicago, IL
Generational Perspectives on the Barriers Preventing
Mexican-Americans from Obtaining Health Insurance
• Latinos are the largest uninsured group
under the Affordable Care Act
• Different generational perceptions are
important in outreach
• Navigators are trusted community health
workers to help community members
obtain health insurance
1. Barriers preventing health insurance to be
obtained are distinct among generation
groups:
• Millennials struggle to find tangible
reasons to seek out insurance
• Gen X and Boomers lacked the necessary
knowledge for their desired coverage
• Older adults struggle to collect the right
documentation to obtain coverage and
sustain their medications
2. A lack of understanding of the Affordable
Care Act exists among all generational
groups
3. Further research should be conducted with
Mexican-American community members of
different generational groups
CONCLUSIONRESULTS
METHODS
BACKGROUND
• Deane, Claudia, et al. (2011). Public Opinion of the Affordable Care Act at the
One Year: Continuities and Contradictions. The California Journal of Politics
and Policy. Vol 3, Issue 4.
• Gross, Wendy, et al. (2012). Americans’ attitudes toward the affordable care
act: would better public understanding increase or decrease favorability.
• The Kaiser Family Foundation. (2013). Navigator and In-Person Assistance
Programs: A Snapshot of State Programs. Retrieved from http://kff.org/health-
reform/issue-brief/navigator-and-in-person-assistance-programs-a-snapshot-
of-state-programs/
• Pilsen Community Navigators. Personal Interviews. March 4-21, 2015.
SOURCES
• Dr. Linda Rae Murray
• Dr. Joseph Zanoni
• Sue Vega
• Gabriela Illa
• Casa Maravilla
• Alivio Medical
Center
• Pilsen Community
Navigators
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1. Identify opinions of the Affordable Care Act
in a Mexican-American community
2. Evaluate barriers that affect the different
generations of Mexican-Americans when
trying to obtain health insurance
OBJECTIVES
DEMOGRAPHICS
MILLENIALS GEN X AND BOOMERS
MOTIVES
IRB APPROVAL:
• Oral life history
STUDY SITE:
• Pilsen Senior Center: Casa Maravilla
• Get Covered Event: St. Mary’s Hospital
POPULATION:
• 16 Bilingual Navigators (88% Female, 12%
Male) working primarily in a Mexican-
American community
COMPARATIVE GROUPS:
• Millennials (Ages 18-34)
• Generation X and Baby Boomers (Ages 35-64)
• Older Adults (Ages 65 and older)
DATA COLLECTION:
• 5-item semi-structured interviews
ANALYSIS:
• Thematic analysis to generate key opinions
and barriers associated with each
generational group
BARRIERS
OLDER ADULTS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Millenials Gen X/ Boomer
Generational Differences Among
Interviewed Navigators
Male Female
Barriers
Percent
n=16
Quotes
Cost 56%
"It's not just a literacy issue, it's
a financial issue"
Government
Stigma
50%
"I fear seeing a doctor and I
don't want to deal with that
right now, so I'll just pretend
everything is okay"
Using
Healthcare
44%
"You have to combine
enrollment with heath literacy
to make use of healthcare"
Obtaining
healthcare
25%
Healthcare
Literacy
25%
Records 19%
"The system couldn't verify
their identify or they don't
bring the documents they
need"
Fear of
Ineligibility
13%
"Convinced they don't qualify
for anything"
Theme
Percent
n=16
Quotes
Invincible 38%
"Millennials are seen as young
and healthy, so it's not that
important to them"
Forced 31%
"Parents are forcing them or
encouraging them to come"
Tech
Literacy
25%
"They already did some of the
research and tried to do it on
their own"
Cheap 25%
"I just want the cheapest plan;
I just want to get this done"
Completion
Difficulties
19%
"They say 'We've been on the
online website, we started the
account and completed the
application, but now that
we're looking at the plans- we
don’t know what this means'"
Theme
Percent
n=16
Quotes
Prior
Knowledge
50%
"A lot of them have had
employer coverage before, so
they know a little bit, but
they're still needing a
comprehensive lesson"
Desire
Coverage
31%
"Those that are parents
recognize the importance of
health coverage; they actually
want it"
Quality Plan 31%
"They go for the higher plan
because they see the value in
that"
Desire to
Learn
31%
"People want to know what
happens next. They're
confused, so they want to
know the process from A to Z"
Compliance 19%
"They are more concerned
about complying with the law
and not having to pay a fine."
Inconsistent
Tech Literacy
13%
"Some of them are tech savvy-
not all of them are"
Theme
Percent
n=16
Quotes
Illness &
Medications
31%
"Their main concern is to get
their medications, but to also
stay with their own doctor."
Tedious
Process
31%
"Older folks take longer for
the security checks; they have
to come back a lot with the
same documents."
Fear of
Unknown
31%
"They are more fearful of the
system, even though they
know people who use it."
Gap in
Services
25%
"They don't want gaps in
coverage because of their
medications and chronic
conditions."
Tech
Illiterate
25%
"Things like the website don't
help them as much, so it's
much more conversational."
Records 25%
"When they have no internet,
no email, and no bank
accounts, it’s really difficult to
verify their identity”
Reasons
Percent
n=16
Quotes
Desired
Coverage
56%
"I want coverage- I want
something I can use"
Fear of
Penalty
56%
"Not being penalized, and if they
were, what happens next"
Illness 38%
"They had some illness, and got to
thinking they needed to see
doctors and they weren't insured"
Lack of
Knowledge
31%
"Most people come because they
don't know anything- they feel
confused"
Media 25%
"They started to see things in the
news and the media, and
generally become interested"