Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
KevinMD
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking
KevinMD
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking
  • About KevinMD | Kevin Pho, MD
  • Be heard on social media’s leading physician voice
  • Contact Kevin
  • Discounted enhanced author page
  • DMCA Policy
  • Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices
  • Group vs. individual disability insurance for doctors: pros and cons
  • KevinMD influencer opportunities
  • Opinion and commentary by KevinMD
  • Physician burnout speakers to keynote your conference
  • Physician Coaching by KevinMD
  • Physician keynote speaker: Kevin Pho, MD
  • Physician Speaking by KevinMD: a boutique speakers bureau
  • Primary care physician in Nashua, NH | Doctor accepting new patients
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recommended services by KevinMD
  • Terms of Use Agreement
  • Thank you for subscribing to KevinMD
  • Thank you for upgrading to the KevinMD enhanced author page
  • The biggest mistake doctors make when purchasing disability insurance
  • The doctor’s guide to disability insurance: short-term vs. long-term
  • The KevinMD ToolKit
  • Upgrade to the KevinMD enhanced author page
  • Why own-occupation disability insurance is a must for doctors

Why Obamacare is a marketing fail

Toni Brayer, MD
Policy
July 22, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

The massive confusion about Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) is much worse than I thought. The Kaiser Family Foundation came out with a poll that shows 42% of Americans don’t even know that Obamacare is the law. Seven percent of people think the Supreme Court struck it down and 12% think Congress repealed it.

I understand that there is confusion about the way it will work and who will be affected. But my advice to Americans is turn off the damn TV! Really, we are blessed to live in an age where information about any subject is available with the click of a mouse and people seem to know more about the Kardashians than they do about a health care law that is as important as Social Security or Medicare legislation.

I’m not surprised, however that most Americans said they don’t have enough information to understand how Obamacare will affect them. The Administration should have hired the same marketing firm that did the Super Bowl ads or even the clever ads for Dollar Shave Club. Sure, I get that health care is more complex than a Pepsi ad, but at least doctors and hospitals should have some understanding of it by now. This is a huge marketing fail so far.

According to the Washington Post, the Administration is waiting until the optimal time to roll-out the details. A public awareness campaign is slated for this summer, as open enrollment will begin in October. That seems way too late to me. Helping 30 million Americans understand that they will be buying insurance, making sure there are networks to care for these people, understanding the subsidies that most will get and understanding the various plan options is a huge undertaking and it will be here in 5 months. I would say Obamacare is in a pot of boiling water right now.

It is the private insurers (Cigna, WellPoint, Blue Cross, United Healthcare, etc.) that will have the exchange products to sell. Has anyone ever truly understood their coverage provisions when dealing with these insurance companies? Now imagine three tiers of new insurance products to choose from, with varying co-pays and pricing. Now imagine covering Americans who don’t use computers or have never really dealt with the insurance system. Now imagine different options being offered in each state.

I would say there is a lot of work to be done by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Toni Brayer is an internal medicine physician who blogs at EverythingHealth.

Prev

Medicine is on the clock: An unfortunate reality

July 22, 2013 Kevin 3
…
Next

Physician education: The downside of taking a business approach

July 23, 2013 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

< Previous Post
Medicine is on the clock: An unfortunate reality
Next Post >
Physician education: The downside of taking a business approach

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Toni Brayer, MD

  • Health care predictions 2025: What’s next for AI, access, and home care

    Toni Brayer, MD
  • Struggles of navigating prestigious medical systems

    Toni Brayer, MD
  • Don’t wait until you’re old: Diseases hitting younger generations now

    Toni Brayer, MD

More in Policy

  • Flexible health care funding: Moving beyond disease eradication

    Selena Kattick
  • Immigration policy and child health: a medical student’s perspective

    Adam Zbib
  • Executive order on homelessness: Why forced treatment fails

    Gary McMurtrie
  • Immigrant caregiver burden: the hidden cost of the five-year Medicaid wait

    Ranjita Suresh
  • Employer-sponsored DPC: Why private equity is winning the infrastructure race

    Dana Y. Lujan, MBA
  • Why Filipino nurses faced higher COVID-19 mortality rates

    Joaquim Diego Santos
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Sabbaticals provide a critical lifeline for sustainable medical careers [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Missed diagnosis visceral leishmaniasis: a tragedy of note bloat

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Conditions
    • Why Medicare must cover atrial fibrillation screening to prevent strokes

      Radhesh K. Gupta | Conditions
    • Menstrual health in medicine: Addressing the gender gap in care

      Cynthia Kumaran | Conditions
    • Teaching joy transforms the future of medical practice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • MOC patient outcomes: Why recertification doesn’t guarantee quality

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What is the minority tax in medicine?

      Tharini Nagarkar and Maranda C. Ward, EdD, MPH | Education
    • Why the U.S. health care system is failing patients and physicians

      John C. Hagan III, MD | Policy
    • Alex Pretti: a physician’s open letter defending his legacy

      Mousson Berrouet, DO | Physician
    • Health care as a human right vs. commodity: Resolving the paradox

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
    • The American Board of Internal Medicine maintenance of certification lawsuit: What physicians need to know

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • Why voicemail in outpatient care is failing patients and staff

      Dan Ouellet | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • MOC patient outcomes: Why recertification doesn’t guarantee quality

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • When the doctor becomes the patient: a breast cancer journey

      Amy E. Sanders, MD | Conditions
    • Why medical education assessment kills curiosity in residents

      Mythili Ransdell, MD | Education
    • Menstrual health in medicine: Addressing the gender gap in care

      Cynthia Kumaran | Conditions
    • Community ownership transforms the broken health care system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Mobile wound care in 2026: Navigating regulatory pressures

      John F. Curtis IV, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 7 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Sabbaticals provide a critical lifeline for sustainable medical careers [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Missed diagnosis visceral leishmaniasis: a tragedy of note bloat

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Conditions
    • Why Medicare must cover atrial fibrillation screening to prevent strokes

      Radhesh K. Gupta | Conditions
    • Menstrual health in medicine: Addressing the gender gap in care

      Cynthia Kumaran | Conditions
    • Teaching joy transforms the future of medical practice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • MOC patient outcomes: Why recertification doesn’t guarantee quality

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What is the minority tax in medicine?

      Tharini Nagarkar and Maranda C. Ward, EdD, MPH | Education
    • Why the U.S. health care system is failing patients and physicians

      John C. Hagan III, MD | Policy
    • Alex Pretti: a physician’s open letter defending his legacy

      Mousson Berrouet, DO | Physician
    • Health care as a human right vs. commodity: Resolving the paradox

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
    • The American Board of Internal Medicine maintenance of certification lawsuit: What physicians need to know

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • Why voicemail in outpatient care is failing patients and staff

      Dan Ouellet | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • MOC patient outcomes: Why recertification doesn’t guarantee quality

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • When the doctor becomes the patient: a breast cancer journey

      Amy E. Sanders, MD | Conditions
    • Why medical education assessment kills curiosity in residents

      Mythili Ransdell, MD | Education
    • Menstrual health in medicine: Addressing the gender gap in care

      Cynthia Kumaran | Conditions
    • Community ownership transforms the broken health care system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Mobile wound care in 2026: Navigating regulatory pressures

      John F. Curtis IV, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today

Copyright © 2026 KevinMD.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme

  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why Obamacare is a marketing fail
7 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...