As a reminder, the law requires that providers make language assistance services available to their patients with health care plans purchased through Pennie, as well as pay for these services, just as they do for their patients with commercial and government plans.
Pennie is Pennsylvania’s official health coverage marketplace. It operates in accordance with Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (also known as the nondiscrimination rule), which requires health care providers to provide and pay for language assistance services for their patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) in the health care setting.
Language Services Available at a Discount
To support providers in offering language and communication services to their patients, Cigna Healthcare has contracted with professional language assistance vendors to offer discounted rates for network-participating providers for their patients with LEP who have Cigna Healthcare-administered plans.
Depending on the service, discounted rates of up to 50 percent are available for the following:
- Over-the-phone interpretation
- Face-to-face (in-person) interpretation, including American Sign Language
- Video remote interpreting services, including American Sign Language
- Written translation
- Bilingual proficiency testing
For information on the discounted rates and how to schedule the services, please read the article “Discounted Rates for Language Assistance Services.”*
Additional Resources for Providers
Additional resources are available on the Cigna Healthcare Cultural Competency and Health Equity Resources web page:
- Tips for Working with a Language Interpreter
- Cultural Competency Training
- Commonly Used Patient Forms in Spanish
Additionally, Cigna Healthcare provides Non-Discrimination Notices to customers to educate them on their rights.
Language Patterns by Region**
While English is the language preference for many people in Pennsylvania, you may have patients whose spoken preference is another language and for whom, by law, you are required to offer language assistance services. The chart below illustrates Pennsylvania’s population broken down by language preference. Note that Pennsylvania demographic data is used as a proxy for our customer base until we have a statistically valid number of customer language preference records.
Questions?
Please contact your Provider Relations Representative if you have questions about the language assistance services available to you or the non-discrimination rule that governs compliance.
* Go to Cigna.com > For Providers > Explore all provider resources > All Resources: Language Assistance Services Discounted Rates.
**2023 population. Retrieved from: https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/pa/chester-county-population.