IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 470 
Expressing support for the designation of October 1, 2019, as ‘‘National 
Health Literacy Day’’ to recognize the value of health literacy in trans-
forming and improving health and healthcare for all people in the United 
States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 27, 2019 
Mr. LEVIN of California (for himself, Mr. GIANFORTE, Mr. ROUDA, and Mr. 
COX of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the designation of October 1, 2019, 
as ‘‘National Health Literacy Day’’ to recognize the 
value of health literacy in transforming and improving 
health and healthcare for all people in the United States. 
Whereas health literacy is the degree to which individuals 
have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand 
basic health information and services needed to make ap-
propriate health decisions; 
Whereas, based on a national assessment, a majority of 
adults have intermediate health literacy, while more than 
75 million adults had basic or below basic health literacy; 
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Whereas mental health literacy is defined as knowledge and 
beliefs about mental disorders that aid in their recogni-
tion, management, or prevention; 
Whereas good mental health literacy may lead to better out-
comes for those with mental disorders, particularly those 
with suicidal ideation, either by facilitating early help- 
seeking or by helping others identify early signs of men-
tal disorders and seek help on behalf of another; 
Whereas language differences, cultural barriers, and low 
health literacy have been described as a ‘‘triple threat’’ 
to effective health communication between providers and 
patients that could harm the delivery of quality care for 
communities of color; 
Whereas, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research 
and Quality, low health literacy is consistently associated 
with increased hospitalizations, greater emergency care 
use, lower use of mammography, lower receipt of influ-
enza vaccine, poorer ability to demonstrate taking medi-
cations appropriately, poorer ability to interpret labels 
and health messages, and, among seniors, poorer overall 
health status and higher mortality; 
Whereas experts estimate that the cost of low health literacy 
to the United States economy is between $106 billion to 
$238 billion annually; 
Whereas, when health literacy is measured, it has been shown 
that— 
(1) individuals with low health literacy scores had 
higher rates of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure; 
(2) States with high health literacy have lower rates 
of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure and have 
lower costs of prescription drugs purchased under the 
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Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) than States with low 
health literacy; and 
(3) there is a strong correlation between health lit-
eracy and healthcare costs, which are a serious challenge 
for individuals, families, and society as a whole; 
Whereas measuring health literacy is an objective process 
that produces results that can be scientifically obtained, 
measured, reported, assessed, improved, and rewarded; 
Whereas, while such measurement has already begun through 
data-driven means, such measurement has not been sys-
tematically used to assess individual health literacy and 
improve the health system throughout the United States; 
Whereas health literacy holds great promise to transform the 
health consciousness of people in the United States and 
around the world, and is essential for improving the ef-
fectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare system in pre-
venting diseases and illness, improving wellness and lon-
gevity, improving patient care and outcomes, and reduc-
ing healthcare costs; 
Whereas health literacy empowers individuals to better en-
gage in their health and with trained health professionals 
and caregivers because they are better educated about 
their bodies and how they work; 
Whereas people have the right to health information that 
helps them make informed decisions, and health edu-
cation and services should be delivered in ways that are 
easy to understand and that improve health, longevity, 
and quality of life; 
Whereas knowledge of health and improvements in health lit-
eracy can encourage individuals to take action on their 
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health that can improve their health status and lower 
their costs despite their health status; 
Whereas, despite the breathtaking advances in reading lit-
eracy over the last century that have led to impressive 
economic, societal, and cultural advances, there is little 
systematic effort in the United States to improve health 
literacy generally, through public programs specifically 
and with individuals particularly; 
Whereas, in 2010, the Department of Health and Human 
Services produced a National Action Plan to Improve 
Health Literacy that lays out seven goals, including re-
search and interventions to improve health literacy, but 
that action plan does not directly encourage patients to 
become more health literate or knowledgeable, has not 
been updated, and the recommendations contained in 
such action plan have not been implemented or reviewed; 
Whereas it is necessary to continue activities that are 
foundational to healthcare modernization and improve-
ment in the United States, including— 
(1) improving health literacy, IQ, knowledge, and 
education about how the body works and how to maintain 
health appropriately; 
(2) promoting innovation in wellness and prevention; 
and 
(3) expanding rewards and incentives for healthy be-
havior; and 
Whereas organizations have recognized the month of October 
as ‘‘Health Literacy’’ month to encourage doctors and 
other health professionals to take an online health lit-
eracy assessment and provide education to improve pa-
tient engagement: Now, therefore, be it 
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Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses support for the designation of 
‘‘National Health Literacy Day’’; 
(2) encourages individuals to assess their health 
knowledge and literacy, and urges the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to adopt new tools and 
incentives immediately to encourage individuals to 
assess and improve their health knowledge and lit-
eracy; 
(3) calls on the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to issue a new action plan on health 
literacy that— 
(A) includes specific recommendations and 
concrete steps to improve and incorporate in-
centives into healthcare payment and delivery 
models that will improve health literacy; and 
(B) reflects the changes in knowledge and 
science about health literacy and the evolution 
in healthcare payment and delivery; and 
(4) encourages all interested parties to promote 
health literacy to transform the health and 
healthcare system of the United States. 
Æ 
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