News and Numbers: English Skills Affect Hispanic Access to Health Care

Rand: Hispanics who don’t speak English very well may have a harder time getting routine health care and emergency care. The latest data from AHRQ shows less than half of Hispanics who are not comfortable speaking English have a family doctor or visit a community health clinic. This compares to 63 percent of Hispanics who do speak English well. And only about 9 percent of Hispanics who don’t speak English well go to the emergency room, as compared to 13 percent of English-speaking Hispanics. Hispanics who don’t speak English well also see their dentist and pharmacist less often. Only 16 percent visit a dentist and only 41 percent have their medication prescriptions filled.