In general, what is the financial impact of health illiteracy?
• Low-literacy patients seeking emergency treatment for non-life-threatening conditions are twice as likely to be hospitalized as are those patients with adequate skills. (Source: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy Report #14) • An estimated $73 billion per year for longer hospital stays or rehospitalization can be attributed to low health literacy. (Source: National Academy on an Aging Society). • A 2-year outcome study found the use of a self-help handbook resulted in a 12.2% reduction in primary care visits, a 17.1% reduction in urgent care visits, and a 15.4% reduction in emergency room visits. (Source: Kaiser Foundation) Although specific statistics are not available by race/ethnicity, individuals who are economically disadvantaged are more likely to be low-literate and also more likely to rely on public health clinics and charity hospitals for healthcare and medical attention. Thus, taxpayers face a greater tax burden as a result of rising healthcare cos
