Study Highlights Barriers to Care for Disabled People in US Healthcare System

A newly published study in Health Affairs further characterizes significant physical and structural barriers to care. The survey found that many physicians felt uncomfortable taking on disabled patients, often denying care. Furthermore, many care delivery locations are not ADA compliant and inaccessible to some disabled people.

According to Emma Yasinki, “The work, which analyzed focus-group discussions with 22 physicians, adds context to a larger study published in February 2021 (also in Health Affairs) that showed that only 56 percent of doctors “strongly” welcome patients with disabilities into their practice. Less than half were “very confident” that they could provide the same quality of care to people with disabilities as they could to other patients. The studies add to a larger body of research suggesting that patients with conditions that doctors may deem difficult to treat often struggle to find quality care. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) theoretically protects the one in four adults in the U.S. with a disability from discrimination in public and private medical practices—but enforcing it is a challenge.”

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(Source: The Atlantic, November 13^th, 2022)