The Effect of English Language Training on Health and Health Care Utilization

Adults with limited English proficiency may have difficulty navigating the complex bureaucracy of the U.S. health care system, leading to worse access and outcomes. We propose to examine the effect of English language training on health care utilization and health outcomes by linking administrative health care data to enrollment and lottery records from a public adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. We hypothesize that participating in adult ESOL classes will increase use of outpatient care including primary care, subspecialty care, preventive care, and will decrease visits to the emergency department. The proposed study would be the first of its kind to use a randomized enrollment lottery to identify the causal effect of publicly supported English language training on the health outcomes of adult immigrants.