Latest News On Disabilities

Latest KFF Health News Stories

The Disability Tax: Medical Bills Remain Inaccessible for Many Blind Americans

KFF Health News Original

Health insurers and health care systems across the country are violating disability rights laws by sending medical bills that blind and visually impaired people cannot read, a KHN investigation has found. By hindering the ability of blind Americans to know what they owe, some bills get sent to debt collections.

‘Impending Intergenerational Crisis’: Americans With Disabilities Lack Long-Term Care Plans

KFF Health News Original

Many Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities do not have long-term plans for when family members can no longer care for them. Families, researchers, and advocates worry that has set the stage for a crisis in which people with disabilities could end up living in institutional settings.

Say What? Hearing Aids Available Over-the-Counter for as Low as $199, and Without a Prescription

KFF Health News Original

The cheaper over-the-counter aids are for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss — a market of tens of millions of people, many of whom have until now been priced out because prescription devices can cost thousands of dollars.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Finally Fixing the ‘Family Glitch’

KFF Health News Original

The Biden administration has decided to try to fix the so-called “family glitch” in the Affordable Care Act without an act of Congress. The provision has prevented workers’ families from getting subsidized coverage if an employer offer is unaffordable. Meanwhile, Medicare’s open enrollment period begins Oct. 15, and private Medicare Advantage plans are poised to cover more than half of Medicare’s 65 million enrollees. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read.

A Disability Program Promised to Lift People From Poverty. Instead, It Left Many Homeless.

KFF Health News Original

A federal disability program meant to provide basic income for people unable to work has left many of its recipients homeless. Advocates for the poor say the crisis is growing worse as rents rise and Congress decides whether to make changes to the program that would affect millions of people.

As State Institutions Close, Families of Longtime Residents Face Agonizing Choices

KFF Health News Original

Iowa, under federal pressure to improve care for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, is set to join 45 other states that have closed most or all of their state institutions for such residents.

Despite a First-Ever ‘Right-to-Repair’ Law, There’s No Easy Fix for Wheelchair Users

KFF Health News Original

Colorado lawmakers approved a measure that will make it easier for people to fix their power wheelchairs when they wear out or break down, but arcane regulations and manufacturers create high hurdles for nationwide reform.

Refurbished Walkers and Wheelchairs Fill Gaps Created by Supply Chain Problems

KFF Health News Original

Loan closets are playing an important role as supply chain issues and the rising price of aluminum have led to shortages in medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and knee scooters.

Pandemic Medical Innovations Leave Behind People With Disabilities

KFF Health News Original

As the country enters Year 3 of the pandemic emergency, people with disabilities across the U.S. are still finding it difficult to use innovations in telemedicine, teleworking, and testing.

Desperate for Cash: Programs for People With Disabilities Still Not Seeing Federal Funds

KFF Health News Original

Almost a year after the American Rescue Plan Act allocated what could amount to $25 billion to home and community-based services run by Medicaid, many states have yet to access much of the money due to delays and red tape.

Para las personas con sistemas inmunes frágiles no hay retorno a la “normalidad”

KFF Health News Original

Personas con salud frágil y de alto riesgo denuncian que se les ignora. Mientras, el resto de la sociedad abandona las medidas de protección contra la pandemia, como el uso de la máscara y la distancia física.

Covid Still Threatens Millions of Americans. Why Are We So Eager to Move On?

KFF Health News Original

Those who are living with disabilities, chronic illnesses or are immunocompromised because of medications or cancer treatment feel that their needs are not being considered as states open back up and lift mask mandates.