Language Assistance
Ask your doctor, health plan, and pharmacy to note the language assistance you want in your family’s medical records.
If your first language is not English, your health plan usually must give you assistance in your language.
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Language assistance can include
- Medical interpreters.
- Doctors and staff who speak your language.
- Printed materials in your language, such as consent forms and directions for treatment.
- Interpreters for you when your child needs care.
What does your health plan offer?
- Call your plan’s customer services number—it is on your membership card. Ask what language assistance the plan provides. Some plans provide many services.
- Learn about the language services different health plans offer.
Look for doctors who speak your language
- Ask your plan for a list of doctors who speak your language. Ask for a copy of the plan’s provider directory, or look on the plan’s website.
- Ask for office staff who can help you make appointments and find providers.
Ask for an interpreter at your visits
- When you make an appointment, say that you need an interpreter.
- You can ask to come early and meet with the interpreter ahead of time.
- You do not have to pay for an interpreter.
- The interpreter may be in the same room with you, or may be on the telephone or on a video screen.
Do not rely on family to interpret for you
- Family and friends are not trained to translate medical terms.
- You may not want them to hear your medical problems or questions.
Ask for information in your primary language. If you do not read well, ask for someone to interpret for you. Important forms and directions include:
- Consent forms: These are forms you must sign to say that you understand a treatment before you agree to have it.
- Prescription drug directions: These tell you exactly how to take the drug and the side effects to watch for.
- Treatment directions: These could include directions to prepare for a test or to care for yourself after surgery.
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