Low health literacy is costly.
by Sullivan, Leanne
Researchers found that 87 million adults, or 36% of the adult U.S.
population, have basic or below basic health literacy skills. Using data
from the 2003 Department of Education National Assessment of Health
Literacy, they estimated that low health literacy costs the U.S. economy
between $106 billion and $236 billion a year. "Our findings suggest
that low health literacy exacts enormous costs on both the health system
and society," lead author John A. Vernon, Ph.D., said in a
statement. The researchers also found that while 7% of those with
employer-provided insurance had low health literacy, 30% of those on
Medicaid, 27% of those on Medicare, and 28% of those with no insurance
had low health literacy. The report, "Low Health Literacy:
Implications for National Health Policy," was supported by a grant
from Pfizer Inc.
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