Fox News wants Obamacare to speak English.
Bill Hemmer of America’s Newsroom criticized the government on a Wednesday broadcast for offering information in languages other than English about how to sign up for health insurance through the exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.
“There’s also a report that says there are 150 different languages available to those who want to sign up [for health insurance], and 150 languages are available if you want to make a phone call,” Hemmer said.
“Now where is it? Where’s that happen?” Hemmer wondered aloud, apparently unaware that an interpretation hotline offering 150 languages is offered in New York City, where America’s Newsroom is broadcasted.
“We can try that out,” MacCallum said. “We could try to call in and ask if they can answer our questions in Burmese.”
“How about English?” Hemmer suggested. MacCallum agreed that English would be a “good start.”
English is the primary language through which the federal and state governments offer information about insurance plans available under the Affordable Care Act.
Hemmer and MacCallum weren’t the only ones to take a swipe at Obamacare for trying to reach people who spoke languages other than English. Dana Perino, co-host of the opinion show The Five, tweeted:
The statement resonated, with nearly 1,400 retweets. But as Latino Rebels pointed out, others pushed back.
.@DanaPerino Not that you actually care, but in communities where these languages are spoken, the doctors speak them too.
— Dana McCallum (@DanaDanger) October 2, 2013
Before You Go
