US House Unanimously Passes Bill Expanding Language Access for Telehealth – slator.com

September 19, 2024

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On September 18, 2024, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to expand language access for telehealth services. 

The Supporting Patient Education and Knowledge (SPEAK) Act, or Bill HR 6033, was introduced by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) in October 2023, sparked in part by the widespread adoption of telehealth during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Telehealth services are transforming health care by increasing access, reducing costs, and improving outcomes,” Rep. Steel was quoted as saying in a press release from her office, which noted that Steel’s 45th Congressional District includes 175,000 residents with limited English proficiency (LEP). The total LEP population in the US is currently estimated at 25m. 

Support for the SPEAK Act came from both sides of the aisle from the time it was first introduced, with 29 bipartisan cosponsors.

On X, the National Immigration Law Center applauded the passage of the SPEAK Act, stating, “This vital bill establishes best practices to expand telehealth access for non-English speakers, which would ultimately improve health outcomes and reduce costs.”

Ben D’Avanzo, a NILC Senior Health Policy Strategist, name-dropped a number of groups “across the spectrum” that worked together to advocate for the bill, including the Association of Language Companies (ALC).

Indeed, the SPEAK Act was notable for its recognition of the language industry’s expertise in telehealth access.

If the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by the US president, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) will convene a task force to improve access to telehealth services for Americans with LEP. The task force will include representatives from a number of healthcare-focused national agencies, as well as providers of health information technology services.

Language service providers; interpreter and translator professional associations; health and language service quality certification organizations; and patient and consumer advocates, especially those with experience working directly with LEP populations, were also all identified as much-needed participants in the task force. 

The task force would then submit two reports to Congress explaining the barriers to telehealth services for LEP users and would create recommendations on best practices to expand access for this population. 

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