COMMUNITY GROUPS WORK TO OVERCOME LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN OBAMACARE SIGNUP

COLLEGE PARK – Community health organizations in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are working to overcome language barriers that have prevented non-English speakers from completing Obamacare insurance applications.

The state’s online insurance marketplace, the Maryland Health Connection, only provides application materials in English and Spanish. To meet the needs of Spanish-, French- and Chinese-speaking residents, representatives from CASA de Maryland and the Asian American Health Initiative have attended outreach events and developed their own materials on purchasing Affordable Care Act insurance plans.

Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, D-Montgomery County, said organizations like CASA and AAHI should not be expected to fill the gap. Government entities like the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange should be responding to the concerns of non-English speakers, she said.
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