The report makes several recommendations to address low literacy.

Simplify health care insurance products with people at the center. Without understanding the basic design and function of their health plan, they don't have all the information they need to make informed decisions about how and where to receive care.
Commit to transparency in pricing and quality information. The cost of health-care visits and procedures traditionally has been a black box for people. Health plans that capitalize on new price transparency regulations can help.
Lean on providers to cut through complexity together. Doing this can mean confirming that communications from providers are clear and consistent in how they reference pricing and the best use of various care sites. They must involve the use of shared incentives to improve access and reduce cost.
Reimagine experiences from a human-centered lens. This means combining human and digital guidance to design experiences, products and workflows from an "outside-in," "walk in others' shoes" perspective. However, payers must ensure they don't over-index on surface fixes as substitutes for the systemic changes that are necessary to address complexity in meaningful and lasting ways.

"Complexity is an entrenched problem in health care that impacts payers, providers and people," the report concluded. "Solving it will take fundamental transformation, not simply financial incentives or design bandages. But if health payer organizations use simplicity and humanized health care as their touchstones for making change that improves care, they can finally start cutting through complexity — and cutting costs."

Instant Insights /

Health care confusion leads more to rely on emergency rooms--at a cost of $47B annually

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