“For instance, health insurance plans often use terms like PCP, EOB, precertification, coinsurance, deductible, and formulary. Huh?” Mr. Jakubowski wrote Oct. 11.
In the article, the author advocates for the use of more plain language when communicating with members to allow for better understanding and decision making.
At Independence, plain language initiatives include training communications teams on how to write clearly, avoiding too many acronyms, using short sentences, and writing at or below an 8th grade reading level.
“Right now, people with a higher level of health literacy may get better care than those with a lower level — just because they more easily understand complex communications,” Mr. Jakubowski said. “When we write something, people should understand it the first time they read it, every time.”