HealthDay reporter
Part a three part series
Tuesday, September 7 HealthDay News-are enough American consumers "Health literate" play a leading role in their health care and coverage decisions?
This question is put to the test in 2014 if more than 30 million uninsured adults begin shopping for health plans by State insurance exchange-a key element of the reform package national health President Barack Obama signed in March into law.
Interest groups hope to avoid occurred almost five years ago an other debacle as when Medicare its new prescription drug benefit, called Medicare Part d started
"If again on part D, we learned much over cover how overwhelmed several choices in plans and drug plan, confused, undermines the confidence of people you can manage the system", said Christina Zarcadoolas, associate professor at the Department of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of medicine in New York City and a health expertise experts.
Health Alphabetisierung--the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information to corresponding health Entscheidungen--a new approach is called nicht.Aber and consumers a more active role in choosing health insurance are preventive services and screening tests and managing chronic diseases, it is increasingly important.
"Health literacy is required health reality to reform to make," said US health and human services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement a in may at the announcement of the national action plan for improving health literacy, set of objectives and strategies for creating a "health-literate society."
"Without health information, which provides low-cost, people sense, secure and accessible high-quality health care," she said.
More than a third of adults in the United States have only basic (22 percent), or basic (14 percent)-health expertise.Only 12 percent have "practiced" health skills, while less educated and poorer individuals in General lower health have literacy, according to a U.S. Department of education analysis.
Is healthcare organizations to improve health literacy, the Department of health and human services (HHS) encouraging and insurer plain language and pictures or graphics use to communicate with the users in other extensions.
These strategies "have the potential to both reduce the complexity and the requirements of healthcare delivery and educate Americans empower so are able to benefit fully from the affordable care Act and to take responsibility for your health", said a HHS spokesperson of statement prepared for HealthDay.
"Who is also well trained don't understand certain medical terminology", noticed Ilene Margolin, senior Vice President for public affairs and communications at EmblemHealth Inc., a New York City-based health insurance.
EmblemHealth used health literacy Advisor, a software tool, developed by health literacy innovations in Bethesda, MD., to remove medical jargon and to produce readable brochures and other documents.
The insurer also works with the non-profit literacy support center in New York, to tweak the letters, which he sends people to explain their health benefits.
Part of the challenge of health care reform is American, views and understand the options for your health plan helfen.Einbindung of people that interest in managing your health is another, explains Zarcadoolas.
"If people have not enough health expertise to use these plans adequately and effectively, we expect should not we go to see enormous changes in health", she said.
Only one-third of Americans run consistently have many of the actions that would benefit your health, according to an analysis published in may by the Center for advancing health in Washington, D.C.Die other two-thirds do never this do so inconsistently or Vorbehalt.Diejenigen that dedicated or dissolved in your health health tend to marginal literacy, the study found.
Help to fill health competence gap facing to communicate Zarcadoolas the need for suppliers and consumers in new and potentially more effective ways.
Some insurers are indeed, non-traditional tools, such as electronic messaging between doctors and patients test.
At Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, or both who had your doctor e-mail significantly better outcomes of health as not users of its secure messaging System.Die results in the July issue of Health Affairs published.
A few health plans and wellness provider test using mobile technology to patients who health conditions to verwalten.WellDoc Inc., a Baltimore-based software developer announced this month that the U.S. disabled his diabetes Manager system administration FDA real-time feedback about blood glucose readings and disease management advice via cell phone of a patient.
A free iPhone application rolled Pittsburgh-based insurers Highmark Inc. recently to help where ever you may be, provider search participating Highmark, look up medical information members, and will find wellness tips.
"" Are thinking about this health insurers and worth to look at this? very few, and that is the sad truth, ", said Zarcadoolas."Pamphlets are still pumping out and send to you by mail."
More information
Visit the US Department of health and human services information the Government health literacy action plan.
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