Supporting the health care needs of Spanish-speaking Americans | Blog | Oscar | hioscar Blog | Oscar
Supporting the health care needs of Spanish-speaking Americans
As we honor National Hispanic American Heritage Month, we wanted to take a moment to honor our Spanish-speaking members.
General HealthClinically Speaking
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As we honor National Hispanic American Heritage Month (opens in new tab), we also wanted to take a moment to honor our Spanish-speaking members, acknowledge their unique health care needs, and explain some of the ways we offer guidance and support.
More than 10% of Oscar members speak Spanish as their primary language. We checked in with one of our Oscar providers, Faith Aguilar, a licensed nurse and virtual clinical supervisor (and San Antonio native) who works closely with this community every day.
Improving access to affordable care through communication.
“Working within the Hispanic and Latinx community, it’s not uncommon to find patients who are simply unfamiliar with how the American healthcare system works, especially if they did not grow up in the United States,” says Aguilar. “Deductibles and copays are often unfamiliar terms, and that can be a barrier to entry that keeps them from seeking care. We focus on building health literacy, so our patients know which questions to ask and have more context for the medical advice they’re given.”
Approximately 1 in 3 (opens in new tab) Hispanic Americans are not fluent in English, which means that access to health services in Spanish is critically important. For many (especially recent immigrants), health care is challenging to navigate even once they get past the language barrier.
These challenges are prevalent among older Spanish-speaking Americans, who often live in multigenerational households, Aguilar explained.
“From my own experience, far too often the parent or grandparent in a Hispanic or Latinx household is putting the needs of everyone else before their own and self-care goes by the wayside,” Aguilar says. “Part of what is so gratifying about this role is working with younger family members who are flipping that dynamic on its head—setting up their elders to take control of their own health.”
Sometimes that involves making sure that older relatives can see a Spanish-speaking practitioner, or just getting them more comfortable with the telehealth options. It can also mean accompanying them to medical appointments to serve as an advocate for getting the right care.
Addressing the Hispanic community’s unique health needs.
Certain chronic health conditions, due to socioeconomic and structural factors, tend to be more common among Hispanic and Latinx patients than other groups. For instance, Hispanic Americans are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes (opens in new tab) than many other Americans. Such chronic conditions can bring serious complications if left unaddressed. But with regular monitoring and care from a medical professional, these issues can often be brought under control.
“We help patients with complex cases every day, and that means working with them to make big and small changes to their lifestyle that will keep them healthier in the long run,” says Aguilar. “In addition to providing medical care, we want to support the whole person to keep them active and engaged in managing their own health. That means providing health education, access to support groups, helping identify exercise options that fit their life and focusing on the small changes they can make to improve their own health.”
Mental health is as important as physical health—especially now that COVID-19 has upended our lives and disproportionately affected minority communities. Studies show that Hispanic and Latinx Americans are less than half as likely (opens in new tab) as whites to seek mental health services. This disparity can be traced to several factors (opens in new tab) including the language barrier and scarcity of Spanish-language mental health services, and cultural stigma around discussing mental health.
“We want to meet patients where they are and give them the support they need,” says Aguilar. “We want to create an environment where patients feel comfortable talking about issues like anxiety or depression. We’re able to connect these patients with services like virtual therapists, community resources, and stress management and meditation programs that can improve their mental wellbeing and overall health.”
Supporting our Spanish-speaking members.
To meet members where they are, we give each member a dedicated Spanish-language Care Team (opens in new tab) who can help them navigate their health care, guide patients to local in-network providers, answer questions about medications, and provide ongoing support for those with chronic or complex health conditions. We also offer Spanish-language Virtual Urgent Care practitioners who are available to help 24/7, at no extra cost.
Our services are now more accessible by being available in both English and Spanish. You can even download the Oscar app fully in Spanish, and it’s easy to set up. Find out how it works here (opens in new tab).
Published 2020-10-14
Faith Aguilar is employed by Oscar Medical Group and is not employed by Oscar Insurance.
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
