HHS Launches Spanish Language App to Help Latinos Navigate Health Care Questions, Issues New Report Highlighting Latino Coverage Issues

 

HHS Launches Spanish Language App to Help Latinos Navigate Health Care Questions, Issues New Report Highlighting Latino Coverage Issues Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a Spanish version of its QuestionBuilder app, which can help Latino patients prepare for their in-person or telehealth appointments. The HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) built QuestionBuilder en Español, which is being released during Hispanic Heritage Month and Health Literacy Month, to improve health care access and equity for Latinos. Latinos have among the highest uninsured rate of any racial or ethnic group within the United States. HHS also released a report today that shows insurance coverage and access to care improved significantly for Latinos between 2013 and 2016 after passage of the Affordable Care Act. Despite these improvements, however, Latinos are still more likely to delay care and are less likely to have a usual source of care – disparities that are even larger among Spanish speaking individuals. Spanish speakers will now be able to use the QuestionBuilder app to prepare themselves for their medical appointments regardless of whether they are visiting a new medical provider or not. Statements: “Making health care easily accessible is critical to boosting health outcomes and getting more people covered,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The QuestionBuilder App in Spanish will be a gamechanger for many Latinos who struggle to communicate with their providers due to language barriers. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to promote health equity and make health care accessible for all Americans.”   “Research clearly shows that when patients communicate effectively with their health care team, clinical care and outcomes improve,” said AHRQ Acting Director David Meyers, MD. “Given that most U.S. medical visits average 20 minutes or less, the app helps patients maximize the value of the time they have with their health care providers.” To read the HHS press release in English, visit. To read the HHS press release in Spanish, visit. For more information on the ASPE Issue Brief, visit: https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/health-insurance-coverage-access-care-among-latinos For more information on the QuestionBuilder App, visit: https://www.ahrq.gov/es/questions/question-builder/index.html For more information on Hispanic Heritage Month, visit: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/hispanic-heritage-month/