October 15, 2007
Disparities in health literacy
A recently completed report talks about how poor health literacy costs the health care system billions.
From theday.com:
“Health-literacy has nothing to do with reading or literacy,” [John Vernon, PhD] said. “It is more difficult to read medical literature (that is) specifically health-related.”
Though ethnic minority groups have a larger percentage of people with low health-literacy, more than 59 million white Americans have a basic or below basic understanding of the health system.
The study suggests that despite the high numbers of people who do not understand health care, 75 percent of the health-illiterate are insured.
If left uncorrected, ignorance of the health care system could cost as much as $1.6 trillion to $3.6 trillion over the next 30 to 50 years, according to the study, which was subsidized by Pfizer Inc.
Original press release at the University of Connecticut School of Business.