By Kenny Goldberg
The report from the non-profit Greenlining Institute says Covered California deserves praise for enrolling 1.4 million people in new health coverage.
But the Institute’s Jordan Medina said the exchange’s website was primarily designed for people who speak English or Spanish.
“The other 11 most common spoken languages in the state never had access to a fully functional website,” Medina explained. “Instead, they had promotional materials and fact sheets. But a lot of people on the ground said that the words used weren’t familiar to native speakers.”
Medina said Covered California needs to make sure all of its resources are easily accessible in multiple languages.
The Institute’s report recommends that the exchange divert support away from large, statewide organizations, and give it to smaller, local groups working directly with underrepresented communities.
Covered California announced plans to hire a cultural and linguistic coordinator at its January board meeting, but has yet do to so.