Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act Falls Short in Improving Surgical Outcomes for Non-English Speakers

Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which mandated the use of qualified language interpreters, had an unintended impact. A study analyzing surgical outcomes in non-English primary language speakers (N-EPL) found that after Section 1557’s implementation, N-EPL patients experienced increased mortality, post-operative complications, and non-routine discharges. Contrary to expectations, the regulation did not lead to improved surgical outcomes for N-EPL patients.