CALIFORNIA HEALTH PLANS AND LANGUAGE ACCESS
Patients need to communicate with their providers and health plans to receive meaningful and appropriate care, which means that health plans need to facilitate access for people who do not speak English well. |
California is a remarkably diverse state. Communities of color make up more than half the state population (53%). Nearly 11 million people in California are Latino, and nearly 4.5 million are Asian or Pacific Islander.1 At least 43% of Asians and 40% of Latinos in California speak a language other than English at home. In many of these families, adults may not speak English well. In fact, in 1 out of 3 Asian households, nobody over the age of 14 speaks English well.2 Many of these families, regardless of their language abilities, are covered by health insurance and participate in health plans and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). The California Department of Managed Health Care estimates that 2 out of 3 Californians -- over 22 million people -- belong to an HMO.3 Health plans and HMOs provide many services to facilitate access to care for patients who do not speak English well. However, the types of services offered, and the accessibility of these services is different for each health plan.
Communication is central to a meaningful health care interaction. If a health care provider is unable to communicate with a patient because they do not speak the same language, the patient is less likely to receive appropriate care. Health plans are required by California law to provide timely and appropriate care to their members.4 Federal law also requires health plans that receive any federal funds to provide language assistance services, including interpreter and translation services, for people who do not speak or understand English well.5
- HELPING PATIENTS COMMUNICATE WITH PROVIDERS
- Does the Health Plan give members a list of bilingual providers?
- Interpreters
- Does the Health Plan provide face-to-face interpreters?
- Does the Health Plan provide telephone interpreters?
- NOTIFYING HEALTH PLAN MEMBERS ABOUT SERVICES AND MATERIALS FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH WELL
- Does the Health Plan provide notification to all members about free language assistance?
- Does the Health Plan provide materials in non-English languages?
- COMMITMENT TO CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE SERVICES
- Does the Health Plan assess the cultural and linguistic needs of its members?
- Does the Health Plan have a written policy about how to provide services for patients who do not speak English well?
- Does the Health Plan conduct trainings for health care providers to ensure they understand the plan's policies and procedures for members who do not speak English well?
- Does the Health Plan monitor complaints specifically related to language barriers?
- WHAT SHOULD PATIENTS LOOK FOR?
- CONTACT INFORMATION FOR HEALTH PLANS AND THE LANGUAGES THEY SERVE
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Footnotes:
1. Census 2000, United States Census Bureau, available at www.census.gov.
2. 1990 Census, United States Census Bureau, available at www.census.gov.
3. California Department of Managed Health Care
4. Knox-Keene Act, California Health and Safety Code ยงยง 1340 et seq.
5. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and US Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights Guidance on the Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination as it Affects Persons with Limited English Proficiency. Federal Register 65(169): 52762-52774; August 30, 2000.
