Bill Overview
Title: Health Equity for People with Disabilities Act
Description: This bill modifies certain grants available to health centers that offer primary health services to medically underserved populations to ensure that members of such populations with disabilities receive accessible health services.
Sponsors: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Target Audience
Population: People with Disabilities
Estimated Size: 18000000
- Approximately 15-20% of the world's population lives with a disability, according to the World Health Organization.
- The bill focuses on medically underserved populations where the prevalence of disabilities might be higher.
- The legislation targets health centers providing primary services to these populations, ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities.
- Therefore, the global estimate for those impacted by the bill includes people with disabilities situated in medically underserved areas worldwide.
Reasoning
- This policy targets people with disabilities in medically underserved populations in the US, which includes about 18 million people. Assessing the impact on self-reported wellbeing involves understanding the diversity within this group such as varying ages, occupations, and locations.
- Given the financial constraints, the policy might not dramatically impact every individual but should provide significant improvements in areas where current accessibility is lacking, especially in health care facilities.
- The distribution of the policy impact will likely be uneven, with some individuals experiencing substantial benefits (e.g., through increased access and improved healthcare outcomes), while others remain unaffected if they are already receiving adequate services.
- Population diversity: The affected population includes individuals with varying types and severities of disabilities, which could result in differing levels of impact from the policy.
- Healthcare needs and accessibility challenges vary, meaning that those with the greatest current barriers may see the most significant improvements in wellbeing scores. We will simulate interviews reflecting a range of scenarios from high impact to none at all.
- Those not impacted may include individuals whose existing healthcare service adequately accommodates their disabilities or those living in areas outside the currently underserved regions that the policy targets.
Simulated Interviews
unemployed (rural Kentucky)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I believe this policy could be a game-changer for people like me who struggle to access basic health services due to our disabilities.
- Accessibility improvements are desperately needed in my area—we need better facilities and trained staff.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 2 |
software engineer (urban New York)
Age: 32 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy sounds positive, but I'm not sure it will have much impact on me. I already have access to decent healthcare services.
- Improved transportation systems would greatly help in my daily life.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
retired teacher (suburban Arizona)
Age: 66 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Access to healthcare is okay but could be improved for seniors with disabilities, especially via remote services.
- I'm hopeful it might lead to better telemedicine options which are crucial for my situation.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
artist (Los Angeles)
Age: 27 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My hope is that mental health facilities become more accommodating with this policy.
- Sometimes it's a struggle to find professionals who understand my specific needs. This policy might help with that.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
factory worker (Chicago)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's tough to get the kind of care I need because most clinics don't understand or accommodate chronic pain well enough.
- If this policy makes access easier, it could really improve my quality of life.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
self-employed (San Francisco)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Access isn't perfect but adequate in many respects, yet improvement is always welcome.
- If this policy increases the number of professionals trained in ASL, it will be beneficial.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
nurse (Houston)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My workplace provides support, but healthcare settings could use more awareness in general.
- This policy might raise more awareness among healthcare providers.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
lawyer (Boston)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy seems essential for better healthcare access, but specific improvements for accessing professional resources would make a real difference to me.
- I support anything that improves access to broader health services for disabled communities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
teacher (Detroit)
Age: 50 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm hoping this policy addresses the need for better communication resources.
- Education and healthcare should be more aligned, so I'm optimistic about this policy's potential reach.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
entrepreneur (Orlando)
Age: 42 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm well supported medically, but comprehensive access for everyone is crucial. Policies like these help maintain quality standards.
- This is more about maintaining the status quo rather than expecting big changes for me personally.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $500000000 (Low: $400000000, High: $600000000)
Year 2: $500000000 (Low: $400000000, High: $600000000)
Year 3: $500000000 (Low: $400000000, High: $600000000)
Year 5: $500000000 (Low: $400000000, High: $600000000)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- Ensuring adequate funding and resource allocation to health centers is critical for the success of the initiative.
- The diversity of disabilities requires a customizable approach in infrastructure and service provisions, which can complicate cost estimations.
- Potential resistance from some health centers regarding new compliance standards might lead to delays.