Tag:

health literacy

Latest Headlines

Latest Headlines

How to make health literacy work

Without health literacy, healthcare reform success may be difficult to achieve. Minneapolis-based UnitedHealthcare developed a "Happiness Counts" kit that informs seniors--via postcards, journals and other information--on how to best manage and take care of their health, reports the StarTribune.

EOBs don't help consumers understand coverage

A majority of insurers' explanation of benefits statements don't help consumers understand what their plan covers for specific claims, says a new report from consultants Dalbar.

Independence Blue Cross educates last-minute exchange shoppers

Americans have a few more days to purchase their own coverage, but many still don't understand fundamental health insurance concepts. So Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross has been focusing on educating consumers--about the Affordable Care Act, as well as what health insurance is and how to best use it, according to Brian Lobley, IBC's senior vice president of Marketing & Consumer Business.

Consumers struggle with confusing health plan names

Many consumers and consumer advocates say the names of insurance plans are unhelpful, and at times confusing and misleading, reports the New York Times.

Boost consumer health literacy for reform success

If the federal government and insurers can't boost consumers' health literacy, success in the post-reform industry may be hard to achieve, The Atlantic reported.

Few exchange consumers understand basic insurance terms

More than 60 percent of the target population for the health insurance exchanges do not understand fundamental health insurance concepts, according to a December Health Affairs study.

AHIP: 8 innovative ways to increase members' health literacy

Are insurers providing their members with clear and easy-to-understand information about their health and benefits? America's Health Insurance Plans looked into that question and identified eight key approaches that some insurers are taking to boost their members' health literacy in a new report.

Study: Upfront health literacy assessments can work

Asking patients whether they understand health information you've just provided on the spot isn't the best way to improve health literacy. A better approach, according to patient-experience expert Meryl Luallin, is to ask patients a question, such as, "What do you think of this plan?," as a way of uncovering any gaps in comprehension. A new st udy  published in the journal  Surgery,  however, suggests that the best time to assess patients' health literacy is upfront.

Health literacy may be worse than thought

Doctors routinely use terms such as "incontinence," "urinary function," "bowel habits" and "impotence" to talk to patients about their prostate health, yet a new study published in  Cancer  suggests a shockingly low public understanding of the terms.

Age, education, income not linked to PHR adoption

Age, education level and income were not good indicators of patients' willingness to adopt personal health records according to the results of a recently published study, though the patients' perceived ability to access and understand the information was.