The Right to Understand your Doctor: Protecting Language Access Rights in Healthcare

Abstract

The current federal landscape governing language access in healthcare provides for inadequate enforcement and compliance. This Note examines existing language access laws to determine the legal rights of limited English proficiency (LEP) individuals to obtain healthcare services. This Note explores California’s progressive work in ensuring language access rights for LEP individuals and recommends that states model their language access legislation after California’s to guarantee language access in healthcare settings. Such legislation would remove barriers and promote greater access to healthcare for LEP patients.