Nearly one-third of insured Hispanics have immediate family members without health insurance, a study by Geoscape finds.

This most-recent Geoscape study reveals a multidimensional view of Hispanic purchase behavior and usage of healthcare and medical insurance.

Of those surveyed, 9% said they had switched health-insurance carriers within the past one to two years because of a change in job situation or employers. This rate of attrition is expected to increase to 10.2% as a result of rising healthcare costs. 

“These findings figure prominently into how policy makers [and] medical and public-health institutions connect with the needs of Hispanic families, especially now, during the peak of healthcare reform and consideration of the United States National Health Care Program,” said César M. Melgoza, founder & CEO of Geoscape, the publisher of the study.

An industry response to the findings comes from Pamela Garanger, primary research manager of Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey: “We believe it's important as the state's largest health insurer to understand the needs and preferences among different segments of the Latino population in order to develop products and services that meet their needs.”

Geoscape's BehaviorBase™ Healthcare study reflects views and beliefs based on a survey of 2,219 Hispanic households of varying demographic and sociographic backgrounds nationwide. Advanced sampling and data collecting methods were used to reveal findings on market share, marketing, strategy, business development and advertising.

An executive summary of the database is available at http://www.geoscape.com/healthcare, and the full report and database are available online by subscription.