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DFR moves culturally and linguistically responsive care into reporting, drops numeric standard
Summary
DFR removed an aspirational quantitative rule for culturally and linguistically responsive care and instead inserted detailed reporting requirements (interpreter availability, provider self-reports on language services and cultural competency, and carrier programs) to establish a marketplace baseline before considering a numeric standard.
Staff told the RAC that language in the statute was aspirational and that it does not make sense to define a quantitative standard before understanding the marketplace. Instead, the department moved detailed requirements into the reporting template to gather baseline data on interpreter availability, providers who self-report services in languages other than English, and carrier incentives or programs to improve culturally and linguistically responsive care.
Brooke Hall said the goal of the reporting is to give the department a baseline understanding of whether a specific standard is needed in the future. Scott White and Rick Blackwell (PacificSource) expressed concern about requiring aspirational reporting without clear purpose and urged clarity on the policy intent and potential fiscal impact for carriers.
DFR staff said they will consider whether the culturally specific data is better gathered through a market analysis or included in the regulatory report, and will discuss internally before finalizing placement in the template.
