Study Reveals Private Health Lobby Uses Strategies Similar to Unhealthy Industry Groups

A recent study has uncovered how the private health industry lobby group, Partnership for America's Health Care Future (PAHCF), employs marketing tactics strikingly similar to those used by industries promoting unhealthy commodities such as tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods. These strategies aim to influence public opinion and policy against the implementation of universal health care (UHC) in the United States. Despite the U.S. being the only high-income country without universal health coverage—leaving approximately 31.6 million Americans uninsured and ranking lowest globally in access, efficiency, and health outcomes—the lobby group actively campaigns to maintain the current profit-driven healthcare system.

In 2019, PAHCF launched a dynamic social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram to oppose UHC initiatives, aiming to sway public perception and political support. Researchers analyzed 1,675 paid advertisements from May 2018 to September 2021, which reached over 32 million views. The ads focused on five main themes: portraying UHC as detrimental by claiming it would lead to higher costs and worse care, infringing on individual choice, misrepresenting legislative intent, proposing partnerships and reforms to fix the system, and targeting specific demographic groups such as families, seniors, and Spanish speakers to maximize impact.

The study highlights that these tactics mirror those of industries like tobacco, which have historically manufactured doubt and fear to protect profits, by creating uncertainty around policy reform efforts. Although Meta, the platform hosting these ads, does not disclose detailed demographic data for all campaigns, the findings expose how social media is increasingly utilized by industries seeking to influence public health policy without transparency.

The authors emphasize the importance of scrutinizing these advertising strategies, especially as recent political developments threaten to reduce access to healthcare for millions. They warn that Meta’s rollback of fact-checking policies and lack of transparency in political ad targeting facilitate health-harming industries’ efforts to protect their financial interests at the expense of public health. The study urges greater oversight and regulation of social media advertising to prevent industry tactics from undermining healthcare reform.

For more information, see the original study: Chow K, et al. "Generating opposition to universal health care policies in the United States: An analysis of private health industry advertising on Meta platforms," published in PLOS Global Public Health (2025).