Language barriers can pose significant obstacles to effective communication between patients and health care providers, hindering the delivery of care and ultimately affecting patient outcomes.

What the numbers reveal

In a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation,[1] 48 percent of adults with limited English proficiency (LEP) reported facing at least one language barrier when seeking health care in the past three years. More specifically:

• 34 percent of adults with LEP reported an occasion during that time period when language barriers made it difficult for them to fill out forms for a health care provider.
• 33 percent reported difficulty communicating with office staff at a doctor’s office or clinic.
• 30 percent  reported difficulty understanding instructions given to them by a health care provider.

Our responsibility to you and our customers

In today’s diverse health care landscape, it’s vital to ensure all individuals have equitable access to medical and behavioral health services, regardless of their language proficiency. Recognizing the importance of overcoming language barriers, we are committed to partnering with you to support your language assistance needs, as well as to promote inclusivity, enhance patient-provider communication, and fulfil obligations under state and federal laws.

Your role in ensuring access to care

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, health care providers are required to provide and pay for language services for their eligible patients with LEP free of charge and in a timely manner.

These services include:

• Sign language interpreter services, including video remote interpretation services, for communication with patients who are deaf or hard of hearing, when needed. This is regardless of cost, even if the cost of the interpretation services exceeds the amount a provider will receive for the services.* (Exception: New Mexico. Please see “State-specific laws for interpreter services” below for more information.)
• Language assistance services, such as phone and face-to-face interpretation services, as well as written translations for LEP individuals.** (Exception: California and New Mexico. Please see “State-specific laws for interpreter services” below for more information.)
• Reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities, when necessary, to ensure they have an equal opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, programs or activities.

Available language assistance resources

In-network Cigna Healthcare^® providers have access to discounted rates of up to 50 percent on professional language assistance services for eligible patients. For more information, including vendors, visit the Discounted Rates for Language Assistance Services page on Cigna.com.

In addition to discounted rates for certain services, we offer the following at no cost:

• Access to qualified professional interpreters.
• Access to bilingual staff.
• At the request of the customer, written translation of significant documents in more than 200 languages, including alternate formats such as Braille, large print, alternative fonts, and audio.
• Nondiscrimination notices and taglines that inform customers about the availability of free language assistance services, nondiscrimination rights, and how to file a complaint.

State-specific laws for interpreter services

Cigna Healthcare is required by law to offer the following language assistance services in California, New Mexico, and Oregon.

For additional information on state-specific laws for interpreter services, refer to the California, New Mexico, and Oregon editions of Cigna Healthcare Reference Guides by logging in to the Cigna for Health Care Professionals portal (CignaforHCP.com) > Resources > Medical Resources > Doing Business with Cigna > Health Care Professional Reference Guides.

[1] Language Barriers in Health Care: Findings from the KFF Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health | KFF

* The law requires that qualified sign language interpreters be provided for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing while in a medical setting. The use of unqualified interpreters is extremely dangerous because these individuals are not trained to be professional sign language interpreters. Therefore, important information is at risk of being conveyed poorly or completely lost in translation.

** Using family members, friends, or children as interpreters for individuals with LEP is discouraged because of serious concerns around competency, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. Exercise caution if circumstances require the use of family members, friends, or children as interpreters for LEP individuals.

*** The situs state is the state in which an insurance policy is written. The specific laws of that state may apply to the plan even when the plan covers customers who live in other states.