Substantial health care disparities for persons with disabilities result from fundamental structural problems with the delivery of health care, including medical providers’ insufficient knowledge about disability competency and awareness and their responsibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, inaccessible facilities and services and deficiencies in the provision of accommodations. Compounded further by a lack of affordable and adequate health insurance, including coverage for needed medications, equipment and services, care coordination and management, and long-term assistance at home, often the difference between living independently and unnecessary and unwanted institutionalization, all of these barriers contribute to poorer health outcomes for persons with disabilities.

WID is dedicated to increasing the number of persons with disabilities who have access to quality health care and the resources and capacity to manage their health coverage and to reducing disparities and barriers by developing recommendations to improve laws, policies, programs and services at the state and national governmental and institutional level (read our latest Affordable Care Act summary and updates here). WID also identifies best practices in treating people with disabilities and educates doctors and providers to increase awareness, competence and access to facilities, information and services (click here for more information about our Access to Health Care resources and training packages for physicians, dentists and other medical providers).

For persons with disabilities that have health care, WID offers self-training packages on self-advocacy for accessible services (click here for the MAP for Health Access) and offers real time, online information services for managing health coverage, benefits and finances to maintain government provided health care eligibility, access to programs and services (click here for Disability Benefits 101 Information Services).

Also, visit our Health Access and Long Term Services Program page and our Employment and Disability Benefits Initiative page.