Medicaid agencies and health plans must communicate important information to members to help them effectively engage with the health care system. Yet, with nearly nine out of 10 adults in the United States facing challenges with health literacy, hard-to-understand communications about health coverage and services can lead to difficulties navigating the health care system, greater costs, and even increased morbidity and mortality. Since this issue disproportionately affects marginalized populations, enhancing clear communication is crucial for advancing health equity and narrowing disparities among Medicaid populations.
This panel gathered Medicaid stakeholders from state agencies, plans, and at the community member level to explore opportunities to enhance health equity by addressing health literacy. Panelists explored practical steps that state agencies and health plans can take to address health literacy through improved communications, national cultural and language access standards (such as CLAS), and community engagement. The panel provided concrete implementation examples and lessons as well as broad recommendations for promoting health literacy.
Agenda
I. Welcome and Introduction
Speaker: Vicki Quintana, Senior Program Officer, CHCS
V. Quintana welcomed participants and introduced panelists.
II. Overview: Opportunities to Address Health Equity by Improving Health Literacy
Speaker: Shilpa Patel, Director, Population Health and Health Equity, CHCS
S. Patel outlined the role of health literacy in addressing health equity, explained the impetus to address health literacy for Medicaid populations, and shared high-level opportunities for organizations to address health equity by focusing on health literacy.
III. Health Literacy, Equity, and Medicaid: Emerging Strategies
Panelists provided brief presentations on their strategies and experiences in improving organizational health literacy to promote health equity.
Panel:
- Colleen McGregor, Administrator, Office of Individual and Family Affairs, Banner Health Plans (AZ) and Isabel Bravo, Member of Banner Health Plans Member Advisory Committee
- Danielle Brooks, Director of Health Equity, AmeriHealth Caritas
- Yingjia Huang, Asst. Deputy Director, Health Care Benefits and Eligibility, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS/California Medicaid)
IV. Panel and Audience Q&A
Moderator: V. Quintana
V. Conclusion
Additional Resource
Making Medicaid Communications Easy to Understand: Cross-Project Insights: Resources and recommendations to improve written Medicaid materials from the California Health Care Foundation.
Improving Health Literacy for More Equitable Health Outcomes
This CHCS infographic defines health literacy and highlights high-level strategies health care organizations can use to better serve patients and communities with clear, effective health information.
Unwinding and Redeterminations Toolkit
This collection of social media graphics, messaging, videos, and other materials was designed to keep members informed during Medi-Cal’s (California Medicaid) redetermination period.
Guide to Developing a Language Access Plan
This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services guide is designed to help providers and health systems create language access plans and serve multi-lingual populations.
