Some California health plans earning recognition for eliminating language barriers

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is honoring California health plans managed by Kaiser Permanente for efforts designed to reduce the barriers that language and culture can cause in the nation's most populous state.

The recognition is based on an initiative developed in conjunction with the California Endowment and Alameda Alliance for Health that limits the need for interpreters for health care professionals who don't speak English natively, and match them with patients who may have difficulties with language barriers as well.

People with coverage under Kaiser Permanente's California health plans are able to find physicians and other medical services personnel with language skills ranging from Arabic to Tagalog, in an effort that led to 93,000 matches between patients and doctors in 2008, according to company officials.

"One in five Americans speaks a language other than English at home," notes NCQA President Margaret O'Kane. "Racial and ethnic differences result in substantial health disparities for millions."

Disparities like the ones that Kaiser has addressed could be an important barrier for California health plans looking to provide adequate care, but so too are providing shelter to indigent populations in the state.

The findings of the United Way support the idea that providing housing to homeless Californians may be able to reduce the costs for health care, using data collected by University of Southern California researchers over several years. Several metrics improved, including the use of emergency room services. Three individuals reported 18 fewer visits over the course of two years.

"We cannot continue to ignore the growing chronically homeless issue, which is crowding our health and criminal justice systems and impacting the strength of our community," said Elise Buik, United Way of Greater Los Angeles president and CEO. The report found that savings of up to $80,000 were found in public services expenditures.

The confluence of initiatives to improve care for non-native English speakers and those who have lost their homes could reduce the expenses paid by those currently covered by California health plans, since insurance companies are required to cover some of the costs for emergency care utilized by the uninsured. In addition, taxes that support area hospitals could also be reduced, the United Way report notes.

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