| Course | HCR 406 Health Literacy for Health Care Professionals |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Campaign proposal short paper |
| Length | About 483 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BS in Health Care Coordination |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCR 406 Module 1
Know Your Plan: A Health Insurance Literacy Campaign for ASU Students
Student Name
BS in Health Care Coordination, Arizona State University
HCR 406: Health Literacy for Health Care Professionals
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Know Your Plan: A Health Insurance Literacy Campaign for ASU Students
Campaign Topic
Many students arrive at ASU managing health insurance for the first time, whether through a parent's plan, a university plan, Medicaid or a marketplace plan. Health insurance literacy, the ability to understand and use coverage, is a form of health literacy that shapes whether students seek care, choose in-network providers and avoid unexpected bills.
Background: The Problem in Population Terms
Health insurance is widely misunderstood. In a national survey of privately insured Americans, only 14 percent could correctly answer four basic questions about deductibles, copays, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums, even though most believed they understood their coverage (Loewenstein et al., 2013). Limited health literacy more broadly is linked with more emergency visits and hospital stays, less preventive care and more trouble using medicines correctly (Berkman et al., 2011). For young adults who are healthy most of the time, the first serious illness or injury can arrive with confusion about where to go and what it will cost. Having coverage improves access to care and financial protection (Sommers et al., 2017), but those gains depend on knowing how to use it.
Conceptual Framework
Under the Health Belief Model, whether a student acts depends on how likely and how serious a problem seems, whether action looks worth its costs, whether something prompts action and whether the student feels capable (Janz & Becker, 1984). Students often feel invulnerable to large medical bills (low susceptibility), see insurance as too complicated to learn (high barriers) and lack confidence in reading plan documents (low self-efficacy). The campaign targets these beliefs directly.
Target Audience
Primary: first- and second-year ASU students aged 18 to 22 on the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses who are newly responsible for their coverage. Secondary: international students and students who recently aged off a parent's Medicaid coverage.
Campaign Message
"Know Your Plan before you need it: four words, five minutes, fewer surprises." The four words are deductible, copay, coinsurance and network. The message frames learning insurance as quick and practical, lowering perceived barriers and building self-efficacy.
Strategic Approach
The campaign uses tailored, peer-delivered education, because tailored messages outperform generic ones on average, though effects are modest (Noar et al., 2007). Trained peer health educators will run five-minute "plan check" stations in residence halls and student centers, helping students find their insurance card and identify their four key terms.
Channels
Peer-led stations, short videos on student social media accounts, a one-page wallet guide and a page on the student health website with a plan-finder checklist.
Campaign Objectives
1. By the end of the fall semester, 1,000 students will complete a plan check.
2. Among participants, the share who can correctly define all four terms will rise from baseline to at least 70 percent on a post-check quiz.
3. By spring, 60 percent of participants will report knowing whether their usual clinic is in network.
References
Berkman, N. D., Sheridan, S. L., Donahue, K. E., Halpern, D. J., & Crotty, K. (2011). Low health literacy and health outcomes: An updated systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(2), 97-107. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-2-201107190-00005
Janz, N. K., & Becker, M. H. (1984). The health belief model: A decade later. Health Education Quarterly, 11(1), 1-47. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019818401100101
Loewenstein, G., Friedman, J. Y., McGill, B., Ahmad, S., Linck, S., Sinkula, S., Beshears, J., Choi, J. J., Kolstad, J., Laibson, D., Madrian, B. C., List, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. (2013). Consumers' misunderstanding of health insurance. Journal of Health Economics, 32(5), 850-862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2013.04.004
Noar, S. M., Benac, C. N., & Harris, M. S. (2007). Does tailoring matter? Meta-analytic review of tailored print health behavior change interventions. Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 673-693. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.4.673
Sommers, B. D., Gawande, A. A., & Baicker, K. (2017). Health insurance coverage and health: What the recent evidence tells us. New England Journal of Medicine, 377(6), 586-593. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsb1706645
HCR 406 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms
The Short Paper opens HCR 406's Health Communication Campaign Project, which runs through most of the term and ends with campaign materials, peer responses and an 80-point final paper. Worth 40 of the course's 400 points, it is two single-spaced pages describing the campaign topic, the problem in epidemiological terms as background, the conceptual framework, the target audience, an effective campaign message, the strategic approach, channels and campaign objectives, with five to seven APA citations. The instructor presents health literacy issues affecting ASU students or people in the surrounding area, so choose from that list if one is provided. Because later assignments build on this one, choose a topic and audience you can carry through the semester.
How this HCR 406 Module 1 example is built
Every element the syllabus lists appears under its own heading, which makes the paper easy to check against the assignment. The background draws on a national survey and a systematic review to state the problem in population terms, and the framework section works through the Health Belief Model's constructs, matching each to a belief the audience likely holds. The audience is defined by campus, age and situation, and the message is short enough to remember. Strategy and channels follow from evidence on tailored communication, and three numbered objectives each carry a number and a deadline. Five sources are cited, inside the five-to-seven range set by the syllabus.
Reading the HCR 406 Module 1 grading rubric
The Short Paper earns up to 40 points on its Canvas rubric. A proposal scores when nothing on the required list is missing, when the problem is sized with figures from trustworthy sources, when the chosen framework actually shapes the plan instead of appearing as a label, when the audience is narrow enough to picture, writing a message that matches the audience and framework, justifying strategy and channels with evidence, setting measurable objectives and meeting the citation and length requirements. Papers lose credit when elements are missing, when the background lacks numbers, when the framework is only defined and when objectives cannot be measured. The two-page single-spaced limit also rewards concise writing, so avoid long introductions that leave little room for strategy. Clear headings that mirror the syllabus list make this easy to verify.
HCR 406 Module 1 help with common mistakes
Make a checklist of the eight required elements and confirm each has its own heading. Look for prevalence, survey or outcome data for the background, from the CDC, peer-reviewed studies or university health surveys. Pick one framework and show how each of its constructs shapes your message. Write the message last, once audience and framework are clear. Draft objectives with a number, a population and a date. Count citations before submitting. If you are choosing among the instructor's topics, the desk can help you weigh which has the most data available. Keep a list of the sources you find now, since the outline and final paper will draw on the same evidence.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HCR 406 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HCR 406 Module 1 sample paper?
This page has a full HCR 406 Module 1 sample: a campaign short paper on health insurance literacy for ASU students.
What does the HCR 406 short paper include?
The topic, the problem in epidemiological terms, conceptual framework, target audience, message, strategic approach, channels and objectives, with 5 to 7 citations.
How long is the HCR 406 short paper?
Two single-spaced pages.
What is health insurance literacy?
The ability to understand and use health insurance, including terms such as deductible, copay, coinsurance and network.
How much is the HCR 406 short paper worth?
It is worth 40 of the course's 400 points.