Infusing Adult Education Principles Into a Health Insurance Literacy Program

Abstract

Health insurance literacy is an emerging concept in the health education and health promotion field. The passage of the Affordable Care Act highlighted the link between health insurance and health outcomes. However, the law does not specifically address how the public should be educated on choosing an appropriate health insurance plan. Research shows adults, regardless of previous health insurance status, are likely confused and uncertain about their selection. The University of Maryland Extension developed and created health insurance Smart Choice Health Insurance™ to reduce confusion and increase confidence and capability to make this decision. Andragogy, an adult learning theory, was used to guide the development of the program and help ensure best practices are used to achieve desired outcomes. Using the six principles of andragogy, the team incorporated reality-based case studies, allowed adults time to practice, and emphasized choice making and many other elements to create an atmosphere conducive to adult learning. Results from Smart Choice indicate the program is successful in reducing confusion and increasing confidence. Furthermore, feedback from participants and trained educators indicates that adults were engaged in the program and found the materials useful. Based on program success, creation of new health insurance literacy programs grounded in adult education principles is under way.

Learners’ perspectives onStop the Bleed: a course to improve survival during mass casualty events

“…Malcolm Knowles developed this theoretical and practical approach to adult education with the following principles: adults should have a say in the content of their learning and should be involved in evaluating their instruction, learning should be based on experiences and have practical and relevant implications, learning should involve problem solving rather than content memorization, and finally, learning can be enhanced if it is driven by internal, rather than external motivation 9. It is a framework widely adopted within the medical community to create courses for the education of patients and healthcare providers alike 11 12…”

Specialty-care access for community health clinic patients: processes and barriers

“…For example, in the era of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), although the mandate requires all residents with legal documents to have health insurance, there is no mechanism or provision for educating potential enrollees or the public about health-insurance options or an appropriate health insurance plan. 30 For example, navigating the health-insurance marketplace to identify coverage options for SC and out-of-pocket costs can pose challenges for patients. Improved access to health information, services, and care are foundational to SC access.…”

“…Barriers to SC access for CHC patients outlined in the findings of this study are interlocking. Some recommendations for improvement were articulated throughout the “Discussion” section and include: effective coordination of patient care among all service providers throughout the care continuum 20 , 43 CHC–hospital affiliations to facilitate care coordination and referral and to reduce fragmentation of care delivery 39 availability of standardized, interoperable EMR systems, including the use of e-consultations and teleconsultations to mitigate delays in SC access 34 – 37 affordable comprehensive health-insurance coverage that guarantees access to both PC and SC for low-income CHC patients 44 increasing the number of specialists and RCs 32 , 42 improving health literacy related to knowledge of disease management, health insurance coverage options, and general health system functioning 29 , 30 tackling the core challenges of poverty and its associated links to poor education, unemployment, lack of appropriate insurance coverage, transportation, low health literacy, poor chronic conditions, and mental health issues. …”

“…improving health literacy related to knowledge of disease management, health insurance coverage options, and general health system functioning 29 , 30 …”

Improvement in oral health related quality of life among the elderly: a randomized controlled trial

“…In adult education, the desire to learn is more important than learning itself, as adults are forced to learn or attend classes. The desire to learn of adults may be derived from a serious interest, though temporarily, in certain issues and the need for knowledge and skill to solve a problem [31].…”