FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Media Contact: Ernie Tai |
Health Interpreters Bill Vetoed
Sacramento, California - On Sunday, Sept. 22, 2002, Governor Davis vetoed a bill that would have legally required HMOs to provide language interpreters and translated documents to Healthy Families and Medi-Cal managed care members who need them. The bill, Assembly Bill 2739, sought to codify existing cultural and linguistic services requirements for HMOs participating in the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs that benefit almost 1.8 million Californians who do not speak English as their primary language.
"This bill would have guaranteed access to interpreters and to translated documents for Californians covered by Healthy Families and Medi-Cal," says Ernie Tai, the Policy Director of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum. "The health and civil rights groups, and the representatives from the Latino, Asian, and African American communities, that sponsored the legislation are deeply disappointed with the Governor’s action. Passage of A.B. 2739 would have recognized that being able to communicate with your doctor is vital to obtaining appropriate medical care in this State," Mr. Tai adds.
Introduced by Assemblywoman Wilma Chan (D-Oakland), the bill clearly defined and would have made legally enforceable the cultural and linguistic services requirements set forth in the Federal regulations for the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs. Proponents contend that, without an explicit law, the requirements can be weakened because they currently appear only in the contracts between the State and the HMOs.
"California is one of the most racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse places on Earth, yet it has nothing in its books that requires HMOs by law to provide appropriate interpreter and translation services when necessary," states Martin Martinez, the Policy Director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, " the bill would have been a first in addressing the growing needs of a multi-cultural California. Gov. Davis’ veto sends the message that this pressing issue—one that impacts millions of Californians--is not important enough for him to make laws for, " Martinez opines.
"While not enacting the bill this year is a lamentable setback for the communities that pushed for it," adds Tai, "the issue of language access in health care is a basic and fundamental one, especially in California. On behalf of the communities, we will continue to work to get this issue addressed. " Founded
Founded in 1986, the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum is a national policy advocacy organization that promotes the health and well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Through policy intervention, community capacity building, and information dissemination, APIAHF advocates for equitable access to health care.
