Dr. Don Rubin is Emeritus Professor of Speech Communication, of Language & Literacy Education, and of Linguistics, at the University of Georgia. Among his many projects and responsibilities, Don chairs the Georgia Alliance for Health Literacy. He also works closely with community-based organizations that offer Navigator services—designed to assist consumers seeking health insurance through Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges.
In this podcast, Dr. Don Rubin talks with Helen Osborne about:
- Why health insurance is difficult for many Americans to understand.
- How health insurance Navigators are helping. And why Dr. Rubin considers them to be Health Literacy Heroes.
- Examples of strategies that Navigators are using to clearly explain complex health insurance concepts.
More Ways to Learn:
- “Survey of Insurance Assister Programs,” by Pollitz K, Tolbert J, Ma R (2014). For the Kaiser Family Foundation. At http://kff.org/health-reform/report/survey-of-health-insurance-marketplace-assister-programs/
- “Listenability as a Tool for Advancing Health Literacy” by Rubin DL (2012), Journal of Health Communication. At http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10810730.2012.712622
- “Health Literacy Implications of the Affordable Care Act,” by Somers SA and Mahadevan R of the Center for Health Care Strategies (2010). For the Institute of Medicine. At http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/PublicHealth/HealthLiteracy/Commissioned-Papers/Health%20Literacy%20Implications%20of%20Health%20Care%20Reform.pdf
- Learning and Teaching about Health & Insurance (HLOL #121), podcast interview with Dr. Bonnie Braun. At http://healthliteracy.com/hlol-health-and-insurance
- Choosing a Health Plan: Ways to Make This Experience Easier and More Consumer-Friendly (HLOL #87), podcast interview with Lynn Quincy. At http://healthliteracy.com/hlol-healthplan
- Talking about Interactive Health Literacy & Oral Communication (HLOL #35), podcast interview with Dr. Don Rubin. At http://healthliteracy.com/hlol-oral-communication
Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 1, 4, 13, 24, 27, 30.
Read this podcast’s written transcript.
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