The growth rate and percent of GDP spend on health care has brought necessary attention to discussions on cost and quality within the health industry. This research posits that in order to tackle issues within these cost and quality-conscious discussions, consumers require increased literacy in the health insurance shopping and utilization processes. Health insurance literacy is relatively new terminology. In regard to consumer literacy measures in purchasing, the findings in Chapter 1 demonstrate that studies on health insurance literacy are inconsistent, with no consensus on which metrics are most appropriate to measure health insurance literacy. While there is a generally agreed upon definition of health insurance literacy, there is currently no standard scale to determine one’s literacy level. Additionally, literacy, in a broader construct, can assist consumers in making better informed choices about how to engage with and manage their health insurance. One particular example of a poor utilization habit is the use of the Emergency Room (ER) for non-emergent conditions. The findings in Chapter 2 demonstrate that educated consumers can be influenced to choose alternative sites for ER care. This research suggests that taking measures to advance health insurance literacy can improve both shopping and utilization behavior and, in turn, positively impact health care costs and efficiencies. The conclusion of this research theorizes on the best approach to influence literacy in health insurance; ultimately furthering the body of research that moves toward a more efficient, effective, and literate health insurance industry. / Business Administration/Interdisciplinary

Health insurance literacy (HIL) contributes to the lack of understanding basic health insurance (HI) terms, subsidies eligibility, health plan selection, and HI usage. The study is one of few to address the existing gap in the literature regarding the exploration of the relationship between HIL, individuals' HI enrollment, and individuals' satisfaction with their HI. The theoretical framework selected for this study was the prospect theory, which describes the behavior of individuals who make decisions. In this cross-sectional correlational study, secondary data set from the third Quarter 2015 Health Reform Monitoring Survey was used. Binary logistic regression models were used to test hypotheses of four predictive relationships between (a) HI enrollment and HIL with HI terms; (b) marketplace enrollment and HIL with HI terms; (c) satisfaction with HI and HIL with HI access to care; and (d) satisfaction with HI and HIL with HI cost of care. Results indicated that participants with high HIL with HI terms had 4.2 times higher odds that those with low HIL to be enrolled in HI and 81% higher odds than those with low HIL to be enrolled in marketplace HI. The most significant relationship indicated that participants with high HIL with HI activities had 12.8 times higher odds than those with low HIL to have high satisfaction with access to care and 8.8 times higher odds than those with low HIL participants to have high satisfaction with cost of care. The finding that low HIL is associated with lower enrollment and lower satisfaction with HI has implications for social change. Policymakers may have the opportunity to utilize this study to promote policies that promote higher HIL, which may lead to increased HI enrollment and improved satisfaction with HI selection.