Federal watchdog: Health care failing those with disabilities
October 1st, 2009From a press release from the National Council on Disability:
People with disabilities face significant barriers to health care and are in need of immediate health care reform, according to a federal report released yesterday.
The report by the National Council on Disability found that people with disabilities frequently lack health insurance or coverage for necessary services, are disproportionately in poor health because their health conditions are not well managed, and are less likely to use preventive health care measures.
Among barriers faced by people with disabilities, the report found, are stereotypes about disability; medical personnel who haven’t been trained in meeting their needs; a lack of accessible medical facilities, equipment, and sign language interpreters; and a health care system that is more concerned with preventing disability than with improving the quality of life of people who have disabilities.
The report, which will be submitted to Congress and the president, called for action to lessen the health care disparities between people with disabilities and their nondisabled peers, and offered recommendations for removing barriers to access, coordinating care and training health care professionals.
It also urged the Department of Justice to step up anti-discrimination enforcement efforts, and said Congress should assure health care coverage is available to people with disabilities without restrictions on pre-existing conditions.
“The Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities” is available here.
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October 2nd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Health care reform must include people with disabilities. Many people like myself with disabilities, are uninsured or losing healthcare services. Many families are suffering financial loss and bankruptcy trying to pay for treatments for their loved ones. This is unacceptable. I live in California where like other states experienced devistating cuts to healthcare programs like Medi-Cal and IHSS. We need a public option for the uninsured. Medicaid also needs to be expanded to include the middle class who need rehabilitative therapies that are not completely covered by private insurance. Lives matter,people are more important than the health insurance companies and their profits.