Report Outlines State Medicaid Medical Interpreter Services Strategy
Reviews 2007 State Legislation That Makes Medical Interpreters Available

(5/5/08)

NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – A report commissioned by the Connecticut Health Foundation (CHF) outlines a strategy to cover medical interpreter costs for Medicaid enrollees with limited English proficiency, and eliminate language barriers contributing to racial and ethnic differences in health care. 

“The April report closely examines Public Act No. 07-185, enacted on June 19, 2007, which makes medical interpreters available to these Connecticut state residents, but leaves many questions unanswered” says Patricia Baker, CHF president & CEO.  The report, entitled, Medicaid Payments for Medical Interpreters: Implementation Questions and Recommended Action, is a follow-up to CHF’s August 2006 report, which calculated the size of the state’s limited English proficiency population and estimated the cost of providing medical interpreters.

“The April report focuses on how to make the payment structure cost-effective and ensure that all individuals who need this service are covered,” adds Baker.  It also encourages DSS “to work with interested stakeholders to determine the methods and procedures that will best ensure timely access to competent medical interpreters for all Medicaid enrollees,” and supports five recommended actions:

• Ensure DSS pays for medical interpreters for all in-patient/outpatient care in fee-for-service and managed care.
• Pay for in-person medical interpreters for all Medicaid-covered services, and establish protocols for telephone language-line interpreters or other technologies as an alternative (when necessary) or as a guarantee of full coverage, 24/7.
• Reimburse providers for staff medical interpreters.  (Does not include bilingual staff members without medical terminology and other interpreter training, i.e. receptionists.) Make payment directly to medical interpreters and language agencies when providers use non-staff interpreters.  Eliminate payment when family members, friends or others interpret, except in state-specified situations.
• Establish a minimum state per-unit charge for providers with on-staff medical interpreters and language agencies.  Allow independent interpreters to submit reasonable costs to DSS.  Pay for travel and waiting time for language agencies and independent interpreters.
• Require that all medical interpreters follow the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) code of ethics and standards of practice.  Require that language agencies providing interpreters document their training and agree to follow the NCIHC code and standards.  Once medical interpreter standards are adopted, DSS needs to evaluate their implementation and establish a phase-in process to meet those standards.  

The Connecticut Health Foundation (CHF) is the state’s largest independent, nonprofit grant-making foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of Connecticut through systemic change, program innovation, and health policy analysis.  Since it was established in July of 1999, CHF has awarded 438 grants in 44 cities and towns totaling nearly $37 million in its three priority areas - children’s mental health, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities, and oral/dental health.