What you don’t know might kill you-and cost the nation a bundle. More than one-third of American adults have only basic or below-basic literacy in health matters, which costs the United States upwards of $238 billion in healthcare expenditures, according to a government- and industry-funded study. And by basic literacy, we’re talking about merely being able to read a label to determine if a product is for a head cold or diarrhea, or administer a proper dose to oneself or a child. The health illiteracy cuts across ethnic groups and, not surprising, disproportionately affects the medically uninsured, essentially because of their poor access to healthcare and health information. Ironically, the wasted dollars are enough to provide healthcare and improve literacy for the more than 47 million Americans who lack coverage. Not you, but maybe a neighbor Any reporting about this literacy report-led by economist John Vernon of the University of Connecticut and based on the U.S. Department of Education’s 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy-is preaching to the choir, because most people seeking health and science news online are indeed literate. Nationwide, about 12 percent of adults are proficient in health literacy and can […]