State announces improvements to health exchange website

[hrmjustin]

Dan Goldberg

New York State will announce today that it will have a Spanish version of its health exchange website ready for the start of the 2015 enrollment period, one of a series of changes the state is implementing to make it easier for people who speak languages other than English to enroll.

NY State of Health, which was created by the Affordable Care Act, is also in the process of translating notices into Spanish and six other languages, including Russian and Chinese.

During the 2014 enrollment period, which lasted from Oct. 1, through mid-April, several civil rights and advocacy groups voiced concerns non-English speakers would have trouble enrolling via the online marketplace. There were materials in other languages online, but navigating to them required finding the right option on an English website.

“It's critically important to get people enrolled,” said Shena Elrington, director of the Health Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She linked this to a civil rights issue, arguing language should not be a barrier for people who want health insurance coverage, which can now be subsidized by the federal government. Elrington also pointed out that immigrants are typically younger and healthier so enrolling them could help lower rates for everyone because it would provide insurers with a healthier population.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/health-care/2014/07/8549109/state-announces-improvements-health-exchange-website