MIAMI (AP) — Thousands of non-English speaking Floridians who go online to sign up for Medicaid and other welfare programs are met with a frustrating barrier — the state's main webpage is only in English, even though the applications a few clicks away are translated in Spanish and Creole.
Health advocates worry how thousands of non-English speakers will fare in signing up for Medicaid expansion or sorting through complicated health plans under the federal health law.
Nearly 4.5 million or 26 percent of Floridians speak a language other than English. According to U.S. census data, nearly 10 percent of Floridians don't speak English at all.
Federal health officials say they are still developing outreach and education plans for non-English speakers and are committed to making information available in linguistically and culturally appropriate ways.
