May 12, 2010
Watching my 5 year old granddaughter play youth soccer was great fun. Such energy. Such excitement. Such effort. Everyone running toward the ball and doing their best to get in a good kick. Sometimes in their enthusiasm, they lost sight of which goal they should be aiming for and may even accidentally kick the ball into the other team’s space. It’s a bit like health care reform in the U.S.
Keep ‘health’ in health communication… this is one of my mantras. I remind myself of it when thinking about the value of my own health communication research and the value of work that I review. It reminds me to consider, “how will the work make a difference in the health of someone?” Will it, for example, help someone to make a decision about which treatment to choose, which food to eat, how important rest and fun can be for health? Will it help someone to talk with family members about health history or to disclose to family members, doctors, or others important information about health status? Will it enable others to provide emotional or tangible social support to keep to a health regimen? …and so on.
So when I listen to conversation about health care reform, I am struck by several trends. First, there is so much fear and anger in the discourse. My mom, for example, will be having hip replacement surgery this summer. She is in her late 70s and on Medicare. She is convinced that her doctor will be paid very little for her surgery because of health care reform. She is also fearful that if she doesn’t act now, she may not be able to even find a doctor who will do the surgery soon…because the doctors won’t be paid well and won’t accept patients on Medicare.
We know quite a bit about fear appeals in communication. And sure enough, what I hear suggests to me that for many, the talk about health care reform and the actual reform itself does not make the efficacy of the actions clear. How will this reform be an effective response in both promoting ‘health’ of citizens and in limiting the runaway expenses? How might each one of us feel more confident or gain the ability to make decisions about our own health based on the reform? Made to feel fearful, many become angry and direct it toward the source.
Second, there has been too little direct translation of how health care reform will benefit health. Health illiteracy and science illiteracy often provide a way to explain our lack of understanding about health issues. Health insurance illiteracy is a whole new ball game. Most of us have some experience with car insurance or home owner insurance or life insurance, so we fall back on those as a way to understand health care insurance and health care reform. We need some help here. We need to know what ideas from other insurance contexts apply and what ideas don’t apply.
In some cases, if you get ticketed for speeding or running a red light, it shows up as higher premiums on your car insurance for awhile. Generally, we think that buying life insurance when we are younger rather than older will be less expensive. And if we fail to prune the tall tree near our home and it falls onto our roof, causing us to file a claim–some increase in our premium isn’t too surprising. So how do these ideas relate to health care reform? And if they don’t, why not?
Third, the optimistic outcome relating to health care reform and changes for how our country communicates about health is that we all become wiser about how politics relates to health… So we participate in the political process with our vote in elections and our voice in debate… not just in overcrowded town hall meetings but in the online forums available to us through access to our representatives where we ask questions and persist until we have answers… often and not just when something ‘big’ seems to be in the wind.
In short, we need to keep our eye on the ball and the goal, and make sure that those who represent us do the same…
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Such an interesting issue! With changes coming rapidly in the health care field and those who provide it to “us”, we must remain educated on what is at stake here. The biggest dilemma I see people get themselves in, is that they remain uneducated on current issues, more specifically those that pertain to the health field. Many love to stay in tune to the latest political debates or catastrophes, mainly things that do not directly effect said person. These issues, while still important, in my opinion vastly differ on the level of importance when it comes to health and the most current topic. These are the issues which directly relate to everyone. People are in part responsible for their own health, along with many, many other factors. All of which, it is my belief that we must remain up-to-date and informed on. Your health is your everything, it is essentially the thing we call “your life”. Not just the physical fitness of a person, but also their mental, social and emotional well-being all play a large role in the overall health of a person.
Staying tuned in and educated on current health topics and debates will surely give one a sound mind and hopefully a better outlook for the future.
I have never heard this much talk about health in my life until the health care reform started to take place. So many people talk about the reform and yet so many have absolutely no idea what changes will take place, but people are intrigued. The important thing is that health communication has increased. People are starting to take interest in their own health care, which is definitely a positive thing. Now that the reform has occurred people started to seek education on matters of health. Hopefully in the future people will keep this interest and talk to their congressional representitives about this issue.
At times I feel my own health illiteracy about certain subjects can be difficult or even impossible to overcome. We have so much information readily available to us with the internet now, it would seem that anyone who has access to this resource can be an expert on any subject. But there are sometimes when I am faced with a health issue or just want to satisfy my curiosity, I almost feel like I need to be a doctor or a lawyer to fully understand. Health care reform is a perfect example of this. Most of the articles I’ve read about this subject should come with footnotes. I’ve asked a lot of friends and family members about the specifics on health care reform and what will change, but none of them seem to have many answers either. You might say I’m beginning to get a sort of “health anxiety” the way people get math anxiety. I haven’t totally given up on learning about it, but I have lost a little interest. I don’t yet have a negative or positive opinion about this issue, but I sure would like to. I don’t want to be the kind of person who is against the reform because I can’t understand it.
I agree with a lot of what has already been said about this topic by these posts, but I also think that until the health care reform becomes personal to people it will not make much of a difference in how we talk about health. I am not that familiar with all of the changes that it will cause or exactly what it means to my personal health yet either, so as of now it has not really changed much for me. Eventually when it is put into action I think that the biggest effect will be an improvement in health literacy. We have been using the same system for a long time now and especially my generation has just learned from our parents or guardians about how to deal with health insurance issues. When change occurs in any part of life it forces us to learn something new and to learn about our health we have to improve our health literacy. Hopefully this will spark more conversation not only between people and their physicians but also people to other people and that ripple effect could make a huge impact on health literacy for a lot of people. Because of this I think that it is important that the government makes a push to help us improve our literacy and more information to understand exactly what is going on. It will be interesting to see how it affects the health world once the new reform policies are put into action.
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I can relate to my classmates in not fully understanding the new health care reform. I believe that people do not know enough about it and so they make the wrong assumptions which lead to negative attitudes. This is where our elected officials, experts, and the media can better communicate the information to the general public. It’s the fact that the general population is health illiterate and our government officials can assist the public in trying to understand. People may still have negative opinions about it but at least they will be able to form those opinions in a more educated manner.
I feel that this topic is relevant to the first chapter of Dr. Parrott’s book, “Talking about Health: Why Communication Matters.” The question is brought up of who should be responsible for our health; the individual or society? The current issue of “fat taxing” relates to this question as well. The government could possibly tax higher fat or “junk foods” such as McDonald’s in an attempt to decrease their consumption. This could possibly lead to positive health outcomes, but could also make it more difficult for lower income families to obtain affordable food options. Although this is not exactly health care reform, it is another way that the government has an impact on our health. The question of who is responsible for our health will most likely always be a topic of discussion as there are benefits and possible drawbacks to governmental policy changes.
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Before I started my major, I had no idea about how important health communication was. Now I understand that it is crucial. I believe that the health care reform leaves a lot of people scared because they don’t know what exactly it will entail. Some people think their freedom to choose which doctor they want to go to will be taken away, or how much care they will be able to receive will not be enough. I know that my grandparents, for example, are so opposed to the reform because they do not understand it fully. It is clear that the health care reform is a salient issue in politics today, but there is no clear answer on how to fix it. In my opinion, if other countries can make it work, why can’t the most powerful country in the world provide care to each of it’s citizens?
I have been very curious about this question for some time. I think you made a lot of excellent points especially about the health and insurance illiteracy, and also fear appeals in communication. The healthcare reform is such a touchy subject because there has been so much uncertainty for a long time. Not only are people uncertain about what is going to happen institutionally but how is it going to effect their health. All the information that I have read about the bill is so confusing, complicated, complex, and also has a lack of consistency which just increases the uncertainty most people feel. I am about to be a college graduate, uninsured and very fearful of what this reform is going to do and how it is going to benefit and/or affect me. Fear is a very powerful tactic, that I feel complicates the way people communicate about health. Maybe it deters people from seeking out information they really need, or they are unsure how to go about doing it because of the high levels of uncertainty.
Your post really made me think how important literacy is in general and how people get the information they do. How many people are there out there that go to webmd to get a diagnosis on an injury instead of going and seeking medical advice? Even though the internet has been a substantially important device for helping assist in health communication it has also increased the disparities among the population. For those who actually do have access to a computer, how accurate is the information they are getting? Most of the information on the internet that is easy to access and to read isn’t necessarily the highest quality of information. For example, someone with a lower literacy might go and read a blog (which might have great advice) rather than getting real facts from a source like the CDC. Even though it is a turning point in our history, I’m glad you are urging people to stay optimistic. It is kind of scary, but definitely an exciting time and a change that could be for the best if people educate themselves in what the reform means and how to better communicate about their health.
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Like Emily, I have never really thought about health insurance illiteracy and its effects until reading this post and now think it is definitely and important issue related to health. The Integrative Health Theory states that health is the alignment of our interpretive accounts and assumptions, performance, and self-image. If we assume our health insurance will not provide a service, it may effect our actions towards our health. I am about to graduate college and still feel as though I am not up to par with my health literacy. I feel as though this is something that I should have learned more about in high school. I do not remember ever learning about health care laws in school which is a place that could definitely be utilized more to teach our youth about health care. I also think schools could influence students to be politically active when it comes to laws affecting their health.
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…welcome… I look forward to your participation…
I also enjoyed reading this post, as I too have come across many people who have had different opinions on the health care reform issue and how it will affect them personally. I agree with Roxanne with health illiteracy being a problem with many Americans, I believe that the popularity and importance of this issue has affected how much people talk about health today. People are starting to take an interest in their health, and educating themselves on issues that they might have never taken an interest in before. I believe this is a positive thing however, many people are misinformed about healthcare reform or do not quite understand the complexity of the issue and the proposed bill. Needless to say it is a complex issue with no perfect solution.
I had never thought of Health insurance illiteracy until after reading your post, but it really is a problem that needs to be addressed. Right now in our country there is so much debate about health insurance, but does anyone really know what exactly their health insurance provides or covers for them. Health illiteracy can cause decreased knowledge, decrease adherence and prevention to practices, which can then cause increased health care costs. It seems like we need to address Health illiteracy first, and then move on to Heath insurance illiteracy, because they affect each other in one way or another. Health insurance illiteracy may be an even high number of people than people with Health illiteracy because health insurance illiteracy is an even more specific topic. I feel like it is so important at this time that everyone takes their health into their own hands and begins to be in control and knowledgeable, not only about their health, but their health insurance as well.
..thanks, Emily. The more specific we get about what we are talking about… the more likely we can be understood or at least ask better questions…
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I BELIEVE THAT THE HEALTH REFORM ISSUE IS A STRONG ASPECT OF AMERICAN LIFE. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THE REFORM AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE AGAINST IT. I FEEL THAT THE HEALTH REFORM HAS MANY POSITIVE ASPECTS, BUT MANY NEGATIVE ASPECTS AS WELL. I HAVE FOUND THAT I AM VERY CONFUSED ABOUT HOW THE SYSTEM WILL WORK AND THE EFFECTS IT WILL HAVE ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. FOR INSTANCE, I AM CURRENTLY A COLLEGE STUDENT AND I HAVE RECIEVED GOVERNMENT FUNDED HEALTH CARE COVERAGE ALL OF MY LIFE. THE ONLY INFORMATION I COULD RECALL ABOUT MY HEALTH COVERAGE WAS THAT I HAD TO SEE CERTAIN PHYSICIANS AND I COULD ONLY GET GENERIC MEDICATIONS. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I CAME TO COLLEGE THAT I WAS FORCED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TYPE OF COVERAGE I DID HAVE. TODAY, I AM DEALING WITH SEVERE ACNE ISSUES AND I RECENTLY WENT TO VISIT THE DERMATOLOGIST. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS ONLY ONE DOCTOR IN FRANKLIN COUNTY THAT ACCEPTS MY INSURANCE, THEREFORE IT TOOK ME MONTHS TO GET IT. AFTER VISITING THE DOCTOR, SHE PERSCRIBED ME WITH A NUMBER OF MEDICATIONS FOR MY SKIN, NONE OF WHICH MY INSURANCE WOULD PAY. BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF THE MEDICINE WAS SO EXPENSIVE I COULD NOT GET THE NECESSARY TREATMENT I NEEDED TO HELP MY SKIN. THIS SITUATION MADE ME RETHINK THE WHOLE HEALTH REFORM ORDEAL. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING HEALTH INSURANCE WHEN I CANNOT RECEIVE MY DOCTORS TREATMENT? ON THE OTHER HAND, I AM REQUIRED BY LAW TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF MEDICAL COVERAGE WHILE ATTENDING SCHOOL. THE PLANS OFFERED BY THE UNIVERSITY ARE TOO EXPENSIVE, WHICH FORCES ME TO RELY ON MEDICAID FOR MY MEDICAL NEEDS. LIKE MOST LOWER CLASS PEOPLE, THIS COVERAGE IS JUST NOT ENOUGH. WE STRUGGLE EVERYDAY FOR LIFE’S NECESSITIES, THERE IS NO EXTRA INCOME FOR HEALTH CARE AND MEDICATIONS. HAVING KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD OF COMMUNICATION HAS HELPED ME TREMEDOUSLY WITH MY HEALTH CARE STRUGGLES. I HAVE LEARNED THAT UNCERTAINTY ON ISSUES EFFECTS A PERSON’S SELF ESTEEM, SELF EFFICACY,AND OVERALL INVOLVEMENT IN CERTAIN SITUATION. THE CHALLENGE IS INCREASING KNOWLEDGE AND REDUCING UNCERTAINITY ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE REFORM. PEOPLE MUST EDUCATE THEMSELVES ON THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COSTS, COVERAGE AND ISSUES THAT COMES ALONG WITH HEALTH INSURANCE. ASK YOURSELF IF I BECOME ILL WILL I HAVE ENOUGH HEALTH COVERAGE TO COVER MY COSTS OR WILL I BE STUCK TRYING TO LIVE AND NOT DIE AT THE SAME TIME?