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"