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New York City Taxi Drivers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of the Affordable Care Act

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Abstract

This study was conducted to assess New York City taxi drivers’ knowledge and perceptions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A cross-sectional street-intercept study design was used to assess drivers’ knowledge about the ACA. A 146-item questionnaire was administered from September 12 to December 6, 2013 to 175 yellow taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers. 91 % of drivers were foreign-born; 50 % were uninsured. Mean knowledge about the ACA was quite low; 78 % of the sample either knew nothing or only a little bit about the ACA. 77 % wanted more information about the ACA. Greater English proficiency, more years driving a taxi, and knowledge of having or not having a pre-existing health condition (vs. not knowing) were related to higher ACA knowledge levels. Knowledge of a pre-existing condition (whether they had one or not) compared to those who lacked such knowledge was also an important predictor of the perception of whether the ACA would have a positive impact. To facilitate enrollment, efforts should focus on occupationally-focused initiatives that educate drivers at their places of work and leisure, to raise the overall knowledge levels and enrollment of the community.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities under Award Number R24MD008058.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

The study was granted exempt status by MSKCC’s Institutional Review Board.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Francesca Gany, Cristina Flores, Ishtiaq Alam, Margaux Genoff & Jennifer Leng

  2. Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Francesca Gany & Jennifer Leng

  3. Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 485 Lexington Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10017, USA

    Francesca Gany & Jennifer Leng

  4. Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Francesca Gany & Jennifer Leng

  5. Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Icahn Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Gary Winkel

Authors
  1. Francesca Gany
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  2. Cristina Flores
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  3. Gary Winkel
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  4. Ishtiaq Alam
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  5. Margaux Genoff
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  6. Jennifer Leng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer Leng.

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Gany, F., Flores, C., Winkel, G. et al. New York City Taxi Drivers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of the Affordable Care Act. J Community Health 40, 1130–1139 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0039-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0039-8

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