SPEAK Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative De La Cruz
Introduced
Summary
Improves telehealth access for people with limited English proficiency. This bill would require the HHS Secretary to issue guidance on using interpreters, multilingual patient materials, and making portals and video platforms easier to use for LEP patients.
Show full summary
- Families and LEP patients would get clearer multilingual instructions, appointment text reminders, and prescription information, plus guidance on integrating interpreters into telemedicine visits.
- Health care providers would get best-practice steps for facilitating interpreter use in video visits and for giving accessible instructions tied to Medicare telehealth rules in section 1834(m).
- Health IT vendors, electronic medical record firms, and telehealth companies would get guidance on improving digital patient portals and enabling multi-person video calls for interpretation.
- Interpreter and language-service organizations, patient advocates, insurers, and certification bodies would be part of consultation; the bill specifies consultation with entities across 7 categories to shape the guidance.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Better telehealth access for non-English speakers
If enacted, HHS would issue guidance within one year to make telehealth easier for people with limited English. HHS would consult tech vendors, providers, insurers, language service companies, interpreter groups, quality groups, and patient advocates. The guidance would explain how to bring interpreters into video visits, including multi-person video. It would call for clear, multilingual instructions for using telehealth systems and patient portals. It would also promote patient materials, text reminders, and prescription info in many languages, and would not include new funding or enforcement.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
De La Cruz
TX • R
Cosponsors
Evans (CO)
CO • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Veasey
TX • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Fitzpatrick
PA • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Panetta
CA • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Pettersen
CO • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Lee (NV)
NV • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Barragan
CA • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Valadao
CA • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Kim
CA • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Ciscomani
AZ • R
Sponsored 4/24/2025
Cuellar
TX • D
Sponsored 7/15/2025
Wittman
VA • R
Sponsored 7/21/2025
Ansari
AZ • D
Sponsored 7/22/2025
Johnson (TX)
TX • D
Sponsored 7/23/2025
Vindman
VA • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Lawler
NY • R
Sponsored 11/4/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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