Health Insurance Literacy and Older Adults

Today many adults have difficulty knowing how to find a physician, fill a prescription, use and pay for medications, and use health information to make informed decisions about their health. Libraries are prominent places in communities – making libraries and librarians excellent resources for advancing health information literacy. For example, librarians can address the unmet information needs that make it difficult to make health insurance choices, particularly for seniors. This webinar will address this critical information need, exploring the history of Medicare, health insurance coverage for older adults in the United States, and the complex Medicare system itself.

Learning Objectives:
• Examine the history of health insurance and Medicare in the United States.
• Identify health insurance information resources for older adults.
• Describe health literacy concerns in this population.
• Explore library-focused solutions to health literacy issues with older adults.

Presenter: Emily Vardell is an associate professor in the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University. She teaches courses on the foundations of library science, reference, research methods, and health sciences librarianship. Her research interests focus broadly on information behavior, including health insurance literacy and infertility information practices. She also studies library science education best practices and trends.

The recording and handouts will be available on Niche Academy after the live event as well as our library of over 700 recorded sessions. To access Niche, go to: https://my.nicheacademy.com/floridalibrarywebinars

Register here via Zoom for the live event or through the link below.