In past blogs, we’ve touched on the concept that most
consumers are simply uneducated when it comes to healthcare. Health and
wellness are considered “professional” territory, and most consumers probably
feel that they lack the ability to understand the nuts and bolts of our
healthcare system. The result of those assumptions, it seems, are disastrous.
The Affordable Care Act is possibly the largest news story
of the year, and is certainly the largest in the health sector. It should come
as a surprise then, that a combined 45% of consumers do not know that SCOTUS
upheld the act. 30% didn’t know which way the ruling went, and a more shocking
15% believed that President Obama’s reform had been overturned.
This is a major problem. Understanding the ACA could be
vital to the wellbeing of many of these consumers. Many experts feel that it is
the responsibility of health workers to educate the populace. FierceHealthcare interviewed Shawn Gremminger, vice president of Legislative Affairs at NAPHHS, who
said, “Since hospitals and their employees are often considered "neutral
informers" about the state of healthcare, they have an opportunity to let
people know what the ruling means and what it doesn't…”
What do you think? Should hospitals be educating consumers
on healthcare? If not, who is responsible for it?
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Pam Argeris is a thought leader in the Healthcare Industry and possesses extensive, hands-on experience with CMS compliance, and multiple regulatory bodies such as NCQA, JACHO, and DOI. In her role at Merrill Corp.,
Pam focuses on developing solutions for
compliance and quality assurance, delivered in a
cost effective manner to improve beneficiary
and prospect communications. You can contact Pam at Pamela.Argeris@merrillcorp.com.
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