We Speak Korean, Hindi and Chinese

A couple of years ago, I accompanied my mom to her doctor's office so she could have some tests run. The neighborhood where the office was has changed drastically since I moved to Cali so when I got in the elevator and saw a sign that said "We speak Korean, Hindi and Chinese" I was flabbergasted and impressed at the same time. Now, I realize that Oklahoma is not as diverse as the city of Chicago but Tom Coburn should realize that this country has changed - dramatically in the past couple of decades. It's not just about Spanish. There are thousands of new Americans - legal or not - who do not speak English fluently. Depending on their age, they are not going to be fluent before they die or leave. What we don't need are people dying due to language barriiers. Coburn needs to get out more and stop pandering to the white sheet crowd. It's too late for that.

Executive Order 13166, signed by President Clinton on August 11, 2000, improves quality health care access for all patients, regardless of their primary language. This executive order requires Medicare and Medicaid providers to offer limited-English-proficiency (LEP) patients with a full interpreter or translator services in their own language.

This week, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) plans to offer an amendment that repeals this mandate. A look at some current problems Coburn’s amendment would make worse:

– Parents with limited English proficiency are three times more likely than parents who report speaking English “very well” to have a child in fair or poor health.

– Parents often report language barriers as the single greatest issue to garnering access to health care.

– 19 percent of Spanish-speakers report having forgone needed health treatment due to a language barrier.

At a time when the United States is more linguistically diverse than at any other time since the early 1900s, we should be working to overcome barriers that may affect an individual’s access and quality of care. Coburn’s amendment undermines the steps this country has taken to ensure access to health care.

I received the sample ballot, for our pending election, a few weeks ago. It was in English but also had translations in Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Chinese. I think I received a card in the mail before that requesting that I declare my language perference. I totally forgot to return it. Perhaps that is why I received another sample ballot last week that was totally in Spanish.

Let's face it. The horse is already out of the barn as far as the number of non-English speakers who are here and who will continue to come. Some will learn English. Some will leave it upon their children to learn it and translate. Limiting medical services is the absolute wrong way to take a stand or change things.