Monday, September 13, 2010

HHS Prepares for Insurance Changes by Emphasizing "Health Literacy"

An article in Bloomberg Businessweek discusses one step that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking to ensure that Americans are prepared for the health insurance exchanges scheduled to begin in 2014 by promoting "health literacy."

The article defines health literacy as "the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information to make appropriate health decisions." The article also mentions that only about one-third of American adults possess what is considered a basic level of health literacy.

HHS has developed a National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy by 2014. Strategies include improving access to health information and using more basic terminology when communicating health issues to the public.

The Bloomberg Businessweek article can be found here: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/642134.html

The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy can be found here:
http://www.health.gov/communication/HLActionPlan/


Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

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