How language access issues affect patients, policymakers, and health care providers

The provision of accessible and meaningful language services to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) is a key component of health equity. For the growing hundreds of thousands of Coloradans who struggle with language barriers, the obstacles to obtaining good medical care can be overwhelming and the cost of inadequate 
language services huge. Efforts to improve language access make up a critical part of the work needed to reduce existing health disparities.

This paper looks at how language access issues affect patients, policymakers and health care providers. (author abstract)