Requirements Pertaining to Non-English Speaking Populations

42 CFR 422.111(h)(1), 422.112(a)(8), 423.128(d)(1)(iii), 422.2264(e), 423.2264(e)

All Plans’/Part D Sponsors’ call centers must have interpreter services available to call center personnel to answer questions from non-English speaking or limited English proficient (LEP) beneficiaries. Call centers are those centers that receive calls from current and prospective enrollees. This requirement is in place regardless of the percentage of non-English speaking or LEP beneficiaries in a plan benefit package (PBP) service area. Plans/Part D Sponsors must make the marketing materials identified in sections 30.6, 30.7, 30.9, and the Part D Transition Letter(s) available in any language that is the primary language of at least five (5) percent of a Plan’s/Part D Sponsor’s PBP service area. Final populated translations of all marketing materials must be submitted in HPMS (see section 90.2 for material submission process).

Historically, regardless of the five (5) percent service area threshold, CMS required that all Plans/Part D Sponsors communicated the availability of language assistance services in the fifteen most common non-English languages spoken in the US via the Multi-Language Insert (MLI). The MLI was required to accompany the Summary of Benefits (SB), Annual Notice of Change (ANOC)/Evidence of Coverage (EOC), and the enrollment form. Because Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act contains a similar yet more robust requirement, CMS will now defer to the requirements under Section 1557 when it comes to communicating the availability of language assistance services. Plans/Part D Sponsors should consult with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the Federal Agency responsible for Section 1557, for questions pertaining to Section 1557 Compliance. In addition, OCR has a Section 1557 resource website that can be accessed at: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/section-1557/index.html

 

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Source: Health Law Blog