Photos of an advertisement for Texas Medicaid that appeared on some Philadelphia buses had social media users scratching their heads — and sent a Texas lawmaker looking for answers.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's Director of Media Relations Andrew Busch wrote in an email to KERA News Thursday there was a mistake in the printing and installation process.
That led to the ad appearing on four out of 60 SEPTA buses that were part of the Medicaid campaign.
"The ads are very similar in terms of design, content, and overall look," Busch said in an email. "After learning of the mistake yesterday, Intersection, which is SEPTA’s advertising agency, moved quickly to remove the Texas ads."
A picture of the mismatched ad on one bus was first posted by Twitter user @notliamanders0n on May 1. A similar photo on a different bus was posted on Reddit by user FenrirIII Wednesday.
The official explanation tracks closely with one from state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, who said he first saw the ad on Reddit.
Wu said he did his own research and left a comment on the Reddit thread explaining what his team heard from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
"I think what happened — what was alluded to — was that somebody down the line did not get clear instructions or they misunderstood the directions and just took the Texas advertising, and instead of changing it for other states, just took it and gave it to the ad agency verbatim and said, 'here you go,'" Wu told KERA News Thursday.
A spokesperson with Texas HHSC said the department does not create or pay for these advertisements, and Busch confirmed that.
Wu said he's often active on Reddit to answer questions users have about state government, but he hopes people don't take the incident too seriously.
"I think it provides at least a moment of levity," Wu said. "I am grateful that this was more incompetence versus maliciousness."
Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on Twitter @tosibamowo.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
