Health News
- 6th Annual Kentucky Health Literacy Summit In Louisville Oct. 7
The 6th Annual Kentucky Health Literacy Summit, "Health Literacy in the Age of the Affordable Care Act," will be held Wednesday, Oct. 7 at the Founder's Union Building on the University of Louisville, Shelby Campus in eastern Jefferson County....
- Shopping For Health Insurance Is Hard; Understanding It Is Even Harder, Even For Some Who Already Have It, Research Shows
As Kentucky and the nation settle into the second phase of the Obamacare rollout, leading up to the March 31 deadline to enroll in exchange health-insurance plans for 2014, Sarah Kliff of The Washington Post reminds us that "For those who successfully...
- Health Literacy Is 'at A Tipping Point' As An Issue To Be Confronted, Federal Official Tells Second Kentucky Health Literacy Summit
By Tara Kaprowy, Kentucky Health News BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? The idea that people will be healthier if they can better navigate the boggy, confusing landscape of health care and insurance is gaining traction in Kentucky ? which, relatively speaking, has...
- From Getting Insurance To Actually Using It
After the 2015 Open Enrollment Period 347,300 Illinoisans purchased plans through the marketplace, and 541,000 people have enrolled in Medicaid since its expansion in 2014. While connecting individuals to coverage is good news, the newly insured are often...
- The Economic Toll Of Health Disparities
April is National Minority Health Month, and we are commemorating it with this post on health disparities from the Heartland Alliance blog, Heartbeat. The Affordable Care Act's reforms will make a difference in some of these disparities,...
Health News
People with low health literacy are more likely to get sick, die
Health literacy rates are increasingly gaining the attention of providers, organizations and lawmakers. A new report based on study of medical literature says people who are unable to understand and act on issues related to their own health care have poorer health and a higher risk of death.
Adults with low health literacy are less likely to get a flu shot, understand medical labels and instructions, and have a greater likelihood of taking medicine incorrectly, the report says. Also, women with low health literacy are less likely to get mammograms. Overall, the report indicates that minorities have lower health literacy rates than the rest of the population.
More than 75 million English-speaking adults across the nation have difficulty understanding and using basic health information. That was the focus of the second annual Kentucky Health Literacy Summit last week.
The report, which was released Monday, updates 2004 literature that reviewed the findings of more than 100 studies. It was compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In May 2010, the department launched an action plan that asks stakeholders to simplify their health-related handouts, forms and websites by removing jargon and complicated explanations. It also calls for improving patient-provider communication. (Read more)
- 6th Annual Kentucky Health Literacy Summit In Louisville Oct. 7
The 6th Annual Kentucky Health Literacy Summit, "Health Literacy in the Age of the Affordable Care Act," will be held Wednesday, Oct. 7 at the Founder's Union Building on the University of Louisville, Shelby Campus in eastern Jefferson County....
- Shopping For Health Insurance Is Hard; Understanding It Is Even Harder, Even For Some Who Already Have It, Research Shows
As Kentucky and the nation settle into the second phase of the Obamacare rollout, leading up to the March 31 deadline to enroll in exchange health-insurance plans for 2014, Sarah Kliff of The Washington Post reminds us that "For those who successfully...
- Health Literacy Is 'at A Tipping Point' As An Issue To Be Confronted, Federal Official Tells Second Kentucky Health Literacy Summit
By Tara Kaprowy, Kentucky Health News BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? The idea that people will be healthier if they can better navigate the boggy, confusing landscape of health care and insurance is gaining traction in Kentucky ? which, relatively speaking, has...
- From Getting Insurance To Actually Using It
After the 2015 Open Enrollment Period 347,300 Illinoisans purchased plans through the marketplace, and 541,000 people have enrolled in Medicaid since its expansion in 2014. While connecting individuals to coverage is good news, the newly insured are often...
- The Economic Toll Of Health Disparities
April is National Minority Health Month, and we are commemorating it with this post on health disparities from the Heartland Alliance blog, Heartbeat. The Affordable Care Act's reforms will make a difference in some of these disparities,...