title: Smart Choice Health Insurance©: A New, Interdisciplinary Program to Enhance Health Insurance Literacy.
abstract: Smart Choice Health Insurance© is a consumer education program based on the definition and emerging measurement of health insurance literacy and a review of literature and appropriate theoretical frameworks. An interdisciplinary team of financial and health educators was formed to develop and pilot the program, with the goal of reducing confusion and increasing confidence in the consumer's ability to make a smart health insurance decision. Educators in seven states, certified to teach the program, conducted workshops for 994 consumers. Results show statistically significant evidence of increased health insurance literacy, confidence, and capacity to make a smart choice health insurance choice. Discussion centers on the impact the program had on specific groups, next steps to reach a larger audience, and implications for educators, consumers, and policymakers nationwide.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Extension, Westminster, MD, USA vbrown12@umd.edu.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Extension, Ellicott City, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.affiliation: Towson University, Towson, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ginter
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Extension, Hagerstown, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Little
authors.affiliation: University of Delaware, New Castle, DE, USA.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pippidis
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Extension, College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McCoy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Smart Choice; health education; health insurance literacy; health literacy