Census Data Underscores Plans’ Need to Diversify Engagement

September 10

In mid-August, the U.S. Census Bureau released additional results from the 2020 Census that underscored just how diverse the country has become. While people identifying as white remained the largest ethnic group in the U.S., that population has decreased by 8.6% since 2010. Meanwhile, the Hispanic or Latino population grew 23% over the last decade and the multiracial population ballooned from 9 million in 2010 to 33.8 million in 2020.

With all that demographic change, industry observers say it’s more crucial than ever for health care organizations — especially health plans — to tailor their member engagement strategies to connect with enrollees from a wide variety of backgrounds. But they caution that doing so requires more than just lip service and cursory efforts.

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Health Plan Weekly

Leslie Small

Leslie has been working in journalism since 2009 and reporting on the health care industry since 2014. She has covered the many ups and downs of the Affordable Care Act exchanges, the failed health insurer mega-mergers, and hundreds of other storylines spanning subjects such as Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, employer-sponsored insurance, and prescription drug coverage. As the managing editor of Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits, she writes and edits for both publications while overseeing a small team of reporters who also focus on the managed care sector. Before joining AIS Health, she was a senior editor for the e-newsletter Fierce Health Payer, and she started her career as a copy editor at multiple local newspapers. She graduated with a dual degree in journalism and political science from Penn State University.