California- Study Looks at Language Barriers to Exchange Coverage

Communities of color are expected to make up a large portion of the California Health Benefit Exchange population. Many potential enrollees have limited English skills, which could get in the way of obtaining coverage.

That's according to a report due to be released today as a joint project of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network and the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education.

"We estimate that about 2.65 million nonelderly adults will be eligible for the exchange. Of that 2.65 million, about 67% of them are people of color," UCLA researcher Daphna Gans said. "That's mostly Latino, followed by African American, then Asian."

That adds up to a minority population of about 1.8 million adults who will be exchange-eligible. But the bigger statistic, she said, deals with language.

"About 40% of that 2.6 million are LEP -- limited English proficiency," Gans said. "This is a sizable proportion of the individuals. That's more than one million people."

Language skills could be a significant hurdle for those potential exchange applicants, she said.

http://www.californiahealthline.org/capitol-desk/2012/2/language-may-limit-exchange-enrollment.aspx#ixzz1nsrf4OV7
Hat Tip: California Healthline