Get the most out of that trip to the doctor: The importance of health literacy.
If you’ve ever left your doctor’s office feeling nervous, overwhelmed, or confused about next steps, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten Americans don’t fully understand or remember what to do after a visit with their doctor. Improving health literacy—understanding why we should get care, when we should get care, and how we should get care—helps keep communities healthy.
Supporting health outcomes
Health literacy skills allow us to take control of our own well-being and better understand our choices, even during an emergency situation. When there are communication barriers to health information—or when we’re stressed, sick, or scared—the ability to understand and communicate what we heard can easily get lost.
The challenges of lower health literacy:
- Worsened health outcomes
- Increased hospitalizations
- Decreased use of preventive care
- Poor management of chronic conditions
Some plans are designed to offer a more simple experience for employers and employees, like the Surest health plan. With no deductible and transparent prices that allow members to know the cost of care in advance, Surest members frequently use high-value care—while lowering their total cost of care. There was a 5%1 reduction in overall surgical rates, 13%2 fewer in-patient admissions, and a 9%3 increase in preventive exams. A lack of health literacy can cost employers (by some estimates, nearly $5 billion annually in administrative costs alone).4
The difference between health literacy and health equity
While health literacy describes how well a person understands basic health information to make appropriate health care decisions, health equity makes it more inclusive.
Health equity involves identifying the needs of certain communities and creating health literacy strategies to support them.
How social determinants of health and low health equity affect health literacy
Social determinants of health play a role in every community and often determine health outcomes. The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as environmental conditions or circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.
Examples of social determinants of health include:
- Safe housing, transportation, and communities
- Racism, discrimination, and violence
- Education, job opportunities, and income
- Access to nutritious foods and physical activity
- Polluted air and water
- Language and literacy skills
Health disparities aren’t solved by simply promoting healthy choices. In communities where it’s not easy to get to a grocery store, “good nutrition” can be a challenge—even if people are aware that eating fruits and vegetables is better for their health. This health disparity raises the risk of health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Healthy People 2030, an initiative from U.S. Health and Human Services, was created to help improve health and reduce health disparities and disease in communities.
One of the five goals in this initiative relates to social determinants of health: “Create social, physical, and economic environments that promote attaining the full potential for health and well-being for all.”
Understanding your health: 5 ways you can help improve your health literacy
Communicate
A doctor’s appointment is an opportunity to communicate. Show up on time, turn off your cell phone, be prepared. If you don’t understand what your doctor is saying, ask questions. This is your time.
Write it down
Write out questions before your appointment, either jotted down on a piece of paper or saved in your phone (put the most important questions at the top of the list). Ask about any complications, side effects, and a potential list of medications. Repeat back what was said to make sure you understand.
Be honest
Most doctors genuinely want to help. If you’re confused by something, don’t be embarrassed to ask for clarification. It’s also important not to withhold information.
Be open with your doctor about:
- Smoking, drinking, or substance use
- Incontinence
- Changes in bowel habits or rectal bleeding
- Changes in libido
- Rashes or lumps
- Past or current physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
- Domestic violence
- Alternative medications
- Financial worries/affording medications or treatment
- Mental health struggles of depression or suicidal thoughts
Withholding details can negatively affect a diagnosis—or even delay treatment. Being honest can give your care team a better chance to help.
Bring an advocate
Feeling overwhelmed or anxious before an appointment? Consider asking a loved one or trusted friend to go with you. They can provide emotional support and help advocate on your behalf.
Manage medications
Learn the names of your medications, the reasons you’re taking them, and how to take them (with or without food? In the morning or before bed?). Then, take them as prescribed. Before your leave the pharmacy, check that the drug name and dosage are correct. Take an active role in health information and health literacy by talking to the pharmacist about any concerns you might have regarding a new medication.
How Surest is working to advance health literacy
When it comes to understanding the whole picture, understanding health information is one thing. Understanding medical terminology is another. Health literacy also includes understanding copays, deductibles, coinsurance, and annual out-of-pocket costs.
And how many people know what these terms mean? Not many, according to a study by the Federal Reserve. The report shows that one in four Americans avoid care because they don’t know what their insurance covers.
The Surest plan works to advance health literacy by making it easy to find and understand prices (copays)—all before a member makes an appointment. By knowing the price for services in advance, and the different options available for treatment, members can plan ahead and become active participants in their health.
1. Surest 2022 book of business; Independently developed 2022 benchmark based on a database containing healthcare claims from 80 million U.S. lives risk adjusted for demographics, geography, and disease burden. 66_v03.
2. Surest 2022 book of business; Independently developed 2022 benchmark based on a database containing healthcare claims from 80 million U.S. lives risk adjusted for demographics, geography, and disease burden. 168_v01.
3. Migrator study comparing the changes in utilization for members from large market employers who were in a UHC plan for 12 months in 2021 and the Surest plan for 12 months in 2022. 167_v01.
4. “The hidden cost of healthcare system complexity,” Accenture.