National Conversations About the Costs of U.S. Health Care: A Content Analysis of Media Coverage, 1993-2010

This study evaluated 531 newspaper articles and television transcripts to examine how the U.S. media presented the issue of rising health care costs from 1993 to 2010. The prominence of health care coverage, the expert sources, and the presentation of the causes of rising health care costs were asse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science communication 2014-10, Vol.36 (5), p.519-543
Main Authors: Foster, Caroline, Tanner, Andrea H., Kim, Sei-Hill, Kim, Soo Yun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advocacy
Content analysis
Cost
Health Care Costs
Health care expenditures
Health care policy
Health Care Services
Insurance coverage
Mass Media
Media coverage
Medical service
News
News Coverage
Presidents
Reform
Television
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Summary:This study evaluated 531 newspaper articles and television transcripts to examine how the U.S. media presented the issue of rising health care costs from 1993 to 2010. The prominence of health care coverage, the expert sources, and the presentation of the causes of rising health care costs were assessed. Results suggest that the president influenced health care news coverage, while expert sources quoted in the reports influenced how the causes of rising health care cost were presented. Findings contribute to the growing body of academic literature on agenda building theory and provide insights for health care reform advocates interested in maximizing their media advocacy efforts.
ISSN:1075-5470
1552-8545
DOI:10.1177/1075547014536882