he Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities, calling for i=
mmediate health care reform for people with disabilities.=20
=C2=A0
According to NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn, =E2=80=9CNCD undertook this st=
udy in 2007 to focus the nation=E2=80=99s attention on the health care disp=
arities experienced by people with disabilities, and to provide information=
and recommendations that can help to eliminate health care inequities for =
people with disabilities.=E2=80=9C
=C2=A0
The report provides a road map for eliminating the pervasive barriers to he=
alth care for people with disabilities, which will improve the quality of l=
ife, productivity, and well-being of greater numbers of Americans as the po=
pulation ages.=20
=C2=A0
Some of the recommendations include:=20
=C2=A0
=E2=97=8F=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 Congress should amend t=
he Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act to bro=
aden the definition of =E2=80=9Chealth disparity population=E2=80=9D found =
in 42 U.S.C. =C2=A7 287c-31(d) to encompass =E2=80=9Cpopulations for which =
there is a significant disparity in the quality, outcomes, cost, or use of =
health care services or access to or satisfaction with such services as com=
pared to the general population,=E2=80=9D as specified in 42 U.S.C. =C2=A7 =
299a-1(d).=C2=A0
=E2=97=8F=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 Congress should establi=
sh a technical assistance system through which states, health plans, clinic=
s, hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centers, individual medical practiti=
oners, equipment manufacturers, people with disabilities, and others can ea=
sily obtain centralized information on universal standards of care and rela=
ted practical resources for ensuring full access to culturally competent he=
alth care services for people with disabilities.
=E2=97=8F=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 The U.S. Department of =
Justice (DOJ) must step up monitoring and enforcement of the ADA and Sectio=
n 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act for health care facilities and program=
s. DOJ must focus additional resources on compliance monitoring and investi=
gation of Title III complaints concerning programmatic access violations of=
the ADA and Section 504 by health care providers.
=E2=97=8F=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 Congress should ensure =
that reform of the health care system in the United States responds to the =
basic needs of people with disabilities by making certain that health care =
coverage is available and affordable to all people with disabilities withou=
t pre-existing condition limitations.
=C2=A0
According to NCD Health Care Committee Co-Chair Anne M. Rader, =E2=80=9CPeo=
ple with disabilities bear a disproportionate burden of poor health compare=
d with the general population and use preventive services at a lower rate t=
han people who do not have disabilities.=E2=80=9D
=C2=A0
For many, health care in the United States is not always available or affor=
dable, and gaps in coverage can present insurmountable obstacles to obtaini=
ng appropriate care and maintaining good health. Lack of health care provid=
er education and disability cultural awareness and competency also creates =
significant barriers for people with disabilities when they try to access c=
are.=20
=C2=A0
The root causes of these longstanding health and health care inequities inv=
olve multiple, complex factors that are embedded in the historical evolutio=
n of the nation=E2=80=99s health care structure, and the parallel research =
and public health emphasis on disability prevention and cure. One especiall=
y serious outcome of this evolutionary process is a highly fragmented healt=
h care delivery system, which is unable to reconcile the competing interest=
s of cost containment and patient-centered care, which is an important tool=
for achieving culturally competent care for people with disabilities.
=C2=A0
According to NCD Health Care Committee Co-Chair Victoria Ray Carlson, =E2=
=80=9CImmediate action must be taken where existing research reveals the cl=
ear need for such strategies as enhanced health care provider education, gr=
eater clinical research, enhanced payment systems, and the removal of polic=
y and procedural barriers and other physical barriers to receiving quality =
health care services.=E2=80=9D
=C2=A0
There is no simple solution to the complex and entrenched problems people w=
ith disabilities experience when they seek health care. Key elements of any=
move toward reform must include action by Congress, Federal agencies that =
have a role in health care, professional medical associations, organization=
s of medical educators, accreditation organizations, the public health comm=
unity, and the disability community.=C2=A0=20
=C2=A0
For more information or to receive a copy of the report, please contact NCD=
=E2=80=99s Mark S. Quigley, at mquigley@ncd.gov or by telephone at 202-272-=
2004.
=C2=A0
(From NCD's press release)
=C2=A0=0A=0A=0A
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