Duffy & Duffy, a medical malpractice law firm based in Uniondale, N.Y., surveyed 3,251 individuals across the country in April to determine which states' residents know the most and least about their health plan policies.
Respondents were presented with various acronyms and given a choice of four answers. For example, identifying the meaning of "UCR" or "POS," or "describe what HMO means."
States ranked by health insurance literacy rates:
- Wyoming: 77 percent
- Kansas: 73 percent
- Kentucky: 71 percent
- Michigan: 67 percent
- Pennsylvania: 66 percent
- Hawaii: 66 percent
- Indiana: 65 percent
- New Hampshire: 64 percent
- New Mexico: 64 percent
- New Jersey: 63 percent
- Delaware: 63 percent
- Texas: 63 percent
- Washington: 63 percent
- Ohio: 62 percent
- Illinois: 61 percent
- Georgia: 61 percent
- Florida: 61 percent
- Virginia: 61 percent
- West Virginia: 61 percent
- Wisconsin: 61 percent
- North Carolina: 61 percent
- Alaska: 60 percent
- Oregon: 60 percent
- Colorado: 59 percent
- Minnesota: 59 percent
- Massachusetts: 58 percent
- Alabama: 58 percent
- Montana: 58 percent
- Nebraska: 57 percent
- Connecticut: 56 percent
- New York: 56 percent
- Arizona: 56 percent
- Maryland: 55 percent
- California: 54 percent
- Louisiana: 54 percent
- Missouri: 54 percent
- Oklahoma: 54 percent
- Tennessee: 54 percent
- Idaho: 53 percent
- South Dakota: 53 percent
- Mississippi: 52 percent
- Utah: 52 percent
- Iowa: 52 percent
- Vermont: 51 percent
- Maine: 50 percent
- Nevada: 50 percent
- North Dakota: 48 percent
- Rhode Island: 46 percent
- Arkansas: 45 percent
- South Carolina: 43 percent