Health Care A Struggle For People With Disabilities, Government Report Finds

Significantly more needs to be done to track and provide health care for people with disabilities, a National Council on Disability report finds.

Adults with disabilities tend to be in worse health than their peers and are less likely to take advantage of preventive services. Meanwhile, this population is stereotyped by providers and often unable to obtain needed accommodations at medical facilities, according to the report, The Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities, which will be presented to Congress and the president.

Many of these problems are caused by this country’s “highly fragmented health care delivery system,” the report indicates. But the government’s approach to disability health issues is also part of the problem since much of the federal research focuses on preventing disability rather than improving quality of life for people living with disabilities.

The report recommends that a technical assistance system be established to provide doctors and patients information on improving accessibility. Additionally, the report indicates that the Department of Justice should step up monitoring of health care providers compliance with discrimination laws and that health care reform should ensure that insurance is available to everyone regardless of preexisting conditions.