The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how far implicit and explicit bias against people with disabilities had an impact on health care delivery. Physicians used triage standards based solely on normative quality-of-life criteria to make triage decisions against patients who required lifesaving treatment due to disability.

Just like anyone, people with disabilities have health needs disability services Melbourne. Yet they often experience difficulty accessing adequate and regular sources of medical care and health insurance coverage as well as services such as prescription medications, long-term care and durable medical equipment.

Accessibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act and other key Federal civil rights laws prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities, mandating that health care providers be fully accessible for all patients. This requires physical access barriers such as narrow doorways or entrances, small waiting or exam rooms, inaccessible medical equipment or lack of wheelchair access to facilities to be removed to make care accessible to everyone.

Medical professionals must also be ready to communicate with patients using various tools and methods of communication - including using telemedicine - which allows health care providers to offer diagnostic and treatment services remotely.

Women with disabilities require information and health services tailored specifically to meet their sexuality and reproductive care needs, including annual gynecologic examinations; testing for and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); obstetrical care during labor, delivery and childbirth. Unfortunately, such information and services are often inaccessible due to longstanding social stigma against disability and barriers obstructing access.

Communication

Communication aids and services available for people with disabilities include notetaking; certified sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, cued speech or tactile interpreters, real-time captioning or written materials. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, covered entities must provide adequate assistance if it's required in order for someone with disability to access goods or services offered by those covered entities.

Poor communication between providers and people with disabilities often hinders their ability to articulate health care needs and diagnose treatments correctly, delays follow-up recommendations, or results in inadequate or misdiagnosed care. Focus groups research has also indicated that health care providers make assumptions or stereotypes about individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities which create additional barriers to gaining quality healthcare services.

Insurance

Many individuals with disabilities rely on third-party health care coverage to access medical and rehabilitative services, prescription drugs, durable equipment, long-term care services and various care necessities. Unfortunately, the current system often leaves gaps in coverage that lead to higher costs for both the patients themselves as well as for health care providers themselves.

Women with disabilities require routine gynecological exams and screening for sexually transmitted diseases; reproductive health consultation and treatment; information and assistance during pregnancies, childbirths and menopausals; as well as access to contraception. Unfortunately, misperceptions and social barriers often make it hard for these women to access necessary health services.

Lawsuits filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 can help eliminate physical and programmatic access barriers at hospitals and HMOs; however, litigation alone will not suffice. A long-term solution must include mandating that all providers demonstrate disability competency while offering accommodations such as communication support services for communication or any necessary supports for patients with special needs.

Preventive Care

Women with disabilities tend to receive less Pap tests and mammograms and clinical preventive care than their nondisabled peers due to cultural and financial barriers, negative provider attitudes, inaccessible health facilities and restrictive third-party reimbursement policies that exclude medically necessary services like sign language interpreters for American Sign Language as well as communication accommodations for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Disparities and barriers to health care access for Americans with disabilities have become all-too evident, highlighting their need for reform. Key Federal agencies involved with research and development of health promotion and disease prevention programs should include methods that ensure those with disabilities are included within these initiatives, requiring medical training programs to require students possess disability knowledge and cultural competency before working with people who have disabilities; additionally third-party reimbursement should take into account any additional health care costs incurred by persons with disabilities such as longer appointments and assistive technologies.