Approachability Is the Key to Healthcare Literacy

Filed under: Benefits

Making decisions about healthcare insurance is complicated, even under the best of circumstances. During open enrollment, workers are bombarded with loads of information on a variety of topics, time is short, and the stakes are high – these decisions last for a year. This is not the best of circumstances for understanding complex insurance concepts.

Personal healthcare literacy is the ability to understand and utilize information and services to inform health-related decisions. This task requires basic skills such reading, writing, calculating numbers, using technology and, ultimately, communicating with healthcare professionals. Also, it is further compounded by industry jargon, multiple options, and a variety of moving parts (e.g., drug tiers, provider networks, cost-sharing requirements).

It is estimated that 90 percent of US adults have trouble understanding their healthcare benefits, according to the Center for Health Care Strategies. While navigating the healthcare system is challenging for the average American, it is all the more difficult for people who:

• Are aged 65 and older
• Have a low socioeconomic status, income or education level
• Identify as Latino, Black, or American Indian/Alaska Native
• Are non-native English speakers or have limited English proficiency
• Are uninsured or covered by Medicaid or Medicare

Employers may not realize the degree to which their workers are confused by healthcare enrollment materials. This is because few people are willing to raise their hand to a supervisor or HR personnel and declare that they basically do not have the comprehension skills to grasp the full spectrum of healthcare benefits. In fact, that admission by its very nature can be self-sabotaging, and most adults are aware of how it is perceived.

Foster Approachability

In an effort to improve healthcare literacy, employers should keep one goal in mind: Do not let workers feel stupid or incompetent when it comes to healthcare decisions. That is the bottom line. The onus is on employers and their benefits team to make healthcare enrollment options easy to understand and HR resources approachable and user-friendly. Otherwise, the significant investment in healthcare benefits that plan sponsors make will yield diminished returns.

The lack of employee healthcare literacy reduces utilization, negatively impacts population health, and adds to rising costs. Consider the pitfalls of limited healthcare literacy:

• Reduced use of preventive care services
• Difficulty understanding and following care plans
• Challenges managing the complexities of chronic conditions
• Longer hospital stays, more hospital readmissions, and increased emergency department use
• Confusion about appropriate responses to public health emergencies
• Medication errors
• Higher mortality

Approachability in healthcare requires employers to be more purposeful in developing communications. It is important to recognize and address the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce, personalize benefits education, and streamline offerings so that the spectrum of benefits is not overwhelming.

Tailor Messages and Mediums

Communications can be broken down into two simple components: content and medium. In recent years, advancements in technology allow for better customization of communications, including variances in demographics, language barriers, and preferences for receiving information. Nearly all communications can be reconfigured for different mediums, such as printed materials, emails, website platforms, mobile apps, and text messaging.

It is now possible to adapt each of these mediums in different languages and even different cadences to appeal to different audiences – from Generation Z (e.g., short clips on social media, shorter-form content like videos or podcasts) to seniors (e.g., printed materials such as a benefits guide and newsletters), and everyone in between. Content can be adapted for gender, age, and claims data, from women in childbearing years to people who struggle with obesity, substance abuse, or chronic conditions. Customizing communication methods to appeal to various demographics has been found to be far more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Furthermore, a linguistically diverse workforce requires translating materials into multiple languages. Trying to understand complicated benefits in English is difficult enough, but it is a far greater challenge for those whom English is a second language. Consider that some adults who struggle with English as their second language (and immigrated from countries with universal healthcare) take their benefits materials home to their more-adapted children. Now you have people as young as grade-school level trying to help their parent’s understand healthcare benefits. Keep this image in mind as you write and review materials.

Jargon Does Not Help

Healthcare benefits can and should be described in simple, everyday language, given that the majority of Americans digest news at a high school level. We keep thinking we can “educate” consumers on healthcare jargon and literacy. However, consider taking the other route – describe healthcare options in the vernacular in which consumers are already fluent.

The fact is, the healthcare system has a language all its own, so that even highly educated people have trouble understanding everything from choosing a healthcare plan to deciphering advice from their doctor. Instead of educating the workforce on common healthcare industry jargon (e.g., “decision support tools”), simply explain things in plain language. This may be a time-consuming endeavor, but it can pay back in spades in terms of utilization, health outcomes, and good will.

Visuals Can Help

Employers should leverage tools to paint a picture of how individual workers might utilize benefits instead of guessing what benefits mean. Visual tools include side-by-side plan comparisons, cost calculators, short how-to videos, quizzes, and interactive AI chatbots to answer frequently asked questions and help guide workers to options best suited for their needs.

Consider story-telling tactics by creating unique profiles to show how a worker would use each plan option to navigate specific benefits, and the subsequent cost. Choose images that reflect the cultural mix of your workforce and their families. Bear in mind, too, that materials should be designed to promote readability (e.g., large font size in black against a white background), which is particularly helpful for an aging workforce.

Also consider the following tips:

• Test-drive materials among a select task force group representing your labor pool to get advice and feedback before launching them during open enrollment.
• Use language, examples, and a tone that is culturally relevant and appropriate for different factions of your workforce.
• Provide professional translation/interpreter services for people with limited English proficiency.
• Offer nutrition and lifestyle benefits that align with workers’ cultural, dietary, and religious values.
• Design websites and digital materials for accessibility by people who use assistive technology.

Promote Human Interaction

The trend of workers returning to the office has generated a greater demand for in-person events such as wellness fairs and open enrollment meetings. These events offer a more immersive experience and enable workers to ask questions. Furthermore, onsite proceedings allow more people to witness events and discuss benefits among themselves. Consider that some workers may not want to speak up and ask questions during an event, but they may ask coworkers for clarification or their take on specific topics discussed. This provides a greater pool of people who can help others make good choices for their unique situation, which they may want to share with only a colleague or friend.

Make it easy to ask confidential follow-up questions. If two or three workers discussing a certain option find that none of them fully understands it, they are more apt to ask follow-up questions. When people are siloed, they may not ask questions because they feel as if they are the only ones who do not understand.

And finally, use commonly asked questions as a guide on how to improve communications moving forward.

Simplify Options

A recent employee benefits survey revealed that US employers increased the number of benefits offered last year by 23 percent. While a wider breadth of options is likely to appeal to a diverse worker pool, the flip side of this strategy is that too many choices can breed indecision and underutilization.

This year, use surveys and/or focus groups to help determine which benefits are most valued and identify areas in which further clarification is needed. If you receive feedback that the multitude of offerings was confusing and overwhelming, consider paring down benefits and focus on utilization over the next year.

A recent survey found a correlation that workers who understand their benefits are more satisfied with their job. Given the ample investment employers make in offering healthcare benefits, increasing and focusing efforts on approachable healthcare literacy is likely to yield a higher ROI in utilization, morale, and satisfaction.

 

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