A new study from the Educational Testing Service and the Harvard School of Public Health (links to the report appear in both pages) suggests “that literacy is one of the major factors linking health and education and contributes to existing disparities in health status, access to care and the quality of health care for many individuals.” Simply put, better literacy skills mean better health care.
From the ETS press release: “The most health-literate populations, comprising about half of adults, were those who are more well-to-do and have more than a high school education. They also report using the library; they vote and they tend to be healthier as a group” (emphasis mine).