About 28 million people living in the United States, according to the latest census data, speak Spanish and English fluently. Not one of them, however, apparently could be found to translate the Spanish-language version of HealthCare.gov.
The Associated Press reports that the website, which already launched two months late, is riddled with language and grammatical errors, most likely due to a poor computer-generated translation. Even the site’s name, CuidadoDeSalud.gov, literally translates to “for the caution of health,” as opposed to “health care.” Spanish speakers who try to sign up may find they are redirected to English-only forms. These are clumsy mistakes that could have been easily avoided.
After its rocky start, the English-language version of HealthCare.gov appears to have found its footing, and thousands are enrolling daily. But the same energy must now be put into fixing glitches on the Spanish-language site, which is the only access point available to millions of Americans. Latino media outlets and community advocates have made impressive efforts to advertise and explain the enrollment process, but, not surprisingly, few Spanish speakers in states with large Hispanic populations — such as California, New Mexico, and Florida — have signed up for Obamacare, according to the most recent data.
About 4 million people living in the United States speak only Spanish. They’ll be at risk for a tax penalty next year if the Spanish-language site isn’t fixed. More importantly, however, many Americans are still being unnecessarily denied health insurance — in other words, suffering the very problem the Affordable Care Act was meant to remedy in the first place.