Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • 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

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 Seven percent of people think the Supreme Court struck it down and 12% think Congress repealed it.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

Post navigation

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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

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

  • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ laws

    BJ Ferguson
  • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

    Carlin Lockwood
  • What Adam Smith would say about America’s for-profit health care

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD
  • The lab behind the lens: Equity begins with diagnosis

    Michael Misialek, MD
  • Conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies

    Martha Rosenberg
  • When America sneezes, the world catches a cold: Trump’s freeze on HIV/AIDS funding

    Koketso Masenya
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech

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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • 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...