Health literacy could affect open enrollment sign-ups: 5 findings

The second open enrollment period under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act begins Saturday, and recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey results have revealed many uninsured Americans don't have an understanding of basic health insurance terms.

The Kaiser Family Foundation findings were based on survey responses from a national sample of 2,292 U.S. adults.

Here are five findings from the survey.

1. Uninsured American adults under age 65 on average answered 4.4 of 10 questions on basic health insurance terms correctly, compared to insured individuals in their same age group who on average answered 6.2 questions correctly.

2. Thirteen percent of uninsured adults under age 65 answered zero of the 10 questions correctly, compared to 4 percent of insured individuals in the same age group.

3. Fifty-seven percent of uninsured adults ages 18-64 correctly identified the definition of a health insurance premium, while 83 percent insured individuals in the same age group correctly identified the definition.

4. Looking at survey responses from both insured and uninsured Americans, only 4 percent were able to answer all 10 of the questions correctly.

5. The term "health insurance formulary" proved to be a point of confusion for both insured and uninsured respondents, with only 33 percent being able to identify the correct definition of the term.

More articles on open enrollment:

PPACA enrollment expected to tumble: 5 facts and observations
Insurers predict 20% jump in 2015 enrollment numbers
More than half former participants won't use federal exchanges this year

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