ABSTRACT
Many people accept as true the notion that health and healthcare are things that happen to them rather than things they control, things, in fact, that can be impacted substantially by their actions. They often believe health is controlled by God, fate, genes, or other factors. They also believe they cannot play a major role in decision making about healthcare because healthcare is complex, difficult to understand, and best left to the experts. Ultimately, too many people believe they don’t know enough or are not smart enough to play a meaningful role in making healthcare decisions.
