US launches Spanish-language healthcare website

WASHINGTON - The US government has debuted the Spanish-language version of the healthcare website that will help Latinos to shop and sign up for new insurance plans under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law.

The site, www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov, was soft-launched over the weekend. Over the next month, the Department of Health and Human Services will boost its promotional efforts to introduce the site to Spanish-language speakers.

The department will rely on feedback from Spanish-language organizations that use the site during the initial stage to improve it before it is mass marketed, said department spokeswoman Joanne Peters.

The Spanish-language version of the site was delayed after the disastrous October 1 launch of HealthCare.gov, which was swamped with technical glitches and did not have enough capacity to handle all the users who went to the site to enroll.

Improvements in hardware and software made to Healthcare.gov will benefit CuidadoDeSalud.gov, officials said.