10/ 30/ 2007
Experts find connection between widespread lack of health-care literacy and higher costs for the U.S. health-care system
There's no doubt that the lack of access to affordable health insurance, the high cost of medical and hospital services, and the continued growth in prescription-drug spending are all major contributors to the health-care crisis plaguing small business. But there's another piece of the puzzle: a lack of health-care literacy among health-care consumers, including employers and employees.
Ninety million Americans--nearly one in two adults--have difficulty understanding health information, whether communicated to them directly by their health-care provider or given in instructions on prescription medicine bottles, according to a 2004 report by the Institute of Medicine. And the problem shouldn't be taken lightly: The lack of literacy costs the U.S. health-care system $58 billion annually.
The good news is that improving literacy can be as easy as teaching patients how to better understand and process information, along with educating health-care providers about how to explain complex and often confusing medical conditions, terms and treatments in a way that is easier for their patients to understand.
The Partnership for Clear Health Communication has launched Ask Me 3 to promote the three questions every patient should ask his/her doctor:
1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?
The site has other tools and tips, including an easy-to-follow checklist that allows individuals to do their part to increase health-care literacy. Download the checklist and share with family, friends and employees.
Reading Resources
Get the most out of your health care with tips from these helpful guides.
How to Get the Health Care You Want (1 Life Press, 2007): Written by patient advocate Laura Casey, this book will make you demand better health care--and put up a fight if you don't get it. Casey offers readers straightforward tips on choosing a provider, working with uncooperative medical professionals and staff, picking a health-insurance policy and fighting claims disputes.
101 Health Insurance Tips (LifeTips.com, 2007): Author Michelle Katz is not just a health-care consultant and medical reporter; she also knows what it's like to experience a health-care crisis. Katz was in a severe car accident while uninsured. This book teaches you to seek alternatives for health-care coverage when traditional policies aren't an option.
Insurance for Dummies (Wiley Publishing, 2001): Written by Jack Hungelmann, a certified insurance counselor, this book focuses on all types of personal insurance, including separate chapters devoted to educating readers about both group health insurance and individual plans. The book also contains a checklist of questions to ask when seeking out a professional to handle your health-insurance needs.
