The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
December 2003
Understanding the Health-Care Needs and Experiences of People with Disabilities
By Kristina Hanson, Tricia Neuman and Molly Voris
Although most people with disabilities do have some form of health insurance
coverage, those who are both uninsured and disabled are at a particular disadvantage in the current health-care system. They are more likely than
others to forgo or delay getting necessary care, including the prescription
drugs and preventive services that would reduce their future need for health-care services.
The findings from this survey also demonstrate that all sources of insurance
are not created equal in meeting the needs of people with disabilities. Private insurance is often perceived as the most generous source of coverage, generally serving those with higher incomes. However, even those with private coverage often have significant problems paying for various services due in part to high cost-sharing requirements and the lack of coverage of specific services often needed by people with disabilities, such as personal assistance services.
Despite Medicaid’s relative generosity… specific Medicaid benefits do vary considerably by state… In addition, in the face of rising costs and budget
shortfalls, states are currently looking for ways of slowing growth in program spending, such as curtailing benefits, increasing cost-sharing requirements, and restricting eligibility.
… beneficiaries who rely on Medicare as their sole source of coverage are
far more likely than those with either Medicaid or private insurance to delay care, go without needed equipment, and forgo medicines due to costs.
In conclusion, the findings from this survey highlight the diverse needs of non-elderly adults with disabilities, while also demonstrating the need for significant improvements in the health-care coverage available to this population. Along with extending coverage to particularly disadvantaged groups of people with disabilities without insurance altogether, future policy debates should focus on strengthening the coverage currently offered through both public and private sources of insurance to improve health care and quality of life for Americans with disabilities.
http://www.kff.org/medicare/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=28401
Comment: The disconcerting news is that none of our current programs are
ensuring full access to care for people with disabilities. What should be of
concern to the rest of us is that we, likewise, have no assurances that our
needs would be met should we ever be unfortunate enough to develop a long-term disability. But isn’t that one of the major reasons why we have
health insurance?
Our current policies are aimed at shifting more of the costs to patients, and reducing funding of our risk pools whether they be public programs, employer-sponsored plans or other private plans. Isn’t this moving in the wrong direction?
Let’s now demand equitable and efficient use of our generous health care
resources. We can do this by establishing our own public program of universal health insurance. Then we would all be assured of both health security and financial security should the need arise.