West OC Times

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has passed Rep. Michelle Steel’s Supporting Patient Education and Knowledge (SPEAK) Act, which directs the Department of Health and Human Services to develop best practices for removing barriers to telehealth for patients with limited English proficiency. The SPEAK Act passed with wide bipartisan support and will now move to the House floor for passage.

California’s 45th Congressional District is home to 175,000 individuals with limited English proficiency, who often face higher barriers to utilizing telehealth services due to communication difficulties. Telehealth services are popular and can provide greater convenience for patients while reducing costs and emergency room visits.

“Telehealth services are transforming health care delivery by increasing patient access to care, reducing costs, and improving outcomes. But too many of my constituents face roadblocks in pursuing telehealth options due to language barriers,” said Rep. Steel. “The SPEAK Act is a necessary, bipartisan step which ensures that no individual’s health care needs are left behind in the digital age. I urge the full House to quickly take action on this measure.”

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) is a co-lead of the SPEAK Act and noted that the legislation would help make health care technology more accessible to all.

“Being able to access health care in the language you are most comfortable with is essential to having culturally accessible care. Our SPEAK Act will support and uplift solutions to making health care information and technology accessible to patients of all backgrounds. In my district, 71% of people speak a language other than English at home and would greatly benefit from increased access to telehealth resources in other languages. I’m proud to have worked with Congresswoman Steel to move this bipartisan bill through committee passage and bring us one step closer to a health system that is accessible to all who call our country home,” said Rep. Gomez.

Other members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce including Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) lent their support to the measure, noting the importance of additional provider training in reducing barriers for patients.

“We’ve seen in recent years how valuable telehealth can be for expanding access to critical behavioral health treatment,” noted Rep. Bilirakis. “However, it has become apparent that some seniors need additional support in order to fully utilize this tool in an effective manner. It is not enough to simply provide access; our bill goes a step further by ensuring providers and patients receive the training they need.”

“The Supporting Patient Education and Knowledge (SPEAK) Act is a critical step toward empowering patients to make informed decisions about their health,” said Congressman Cárdenas. “Culturally competent service should be a priority of providers to ensure quality healthcare delivery.”

Over 25 million people in the United States have limited English proficiency (LEP). While telehealth usage has increased, people with LEP face significant barriers accessing virtual health services, impacting patient outcomes negatively.

In February 2021, a doctor attempted a telehealth appointment with an LEP family but could not obtain an interpreter for their dialect, resulting in miscommunication that led eventually led emergency treatment due septic shock caused by a burst appendix.

Adults with LEP have 20% lower odds of having telemedicine visits than adults proficient in English, leading Spanish-speaking patients particularly underutilizing these services compared those fluent only English speakers finding it harder schedule appointments safety-net clinics.