Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) DREDF eNews August 2009 In This Issue Health Care Be Informed Take Action Left Column Dear Friends, People with disabilities need health care reform. Here are some of the reasons why: Between 17 and 28 percent of people with disabilities are estimated to be uninsured, depending upon impairment or health condition. People with disabilities experience significant health and health care disparities compared with the general population. Research reveals that cost is the primary factor that explains why more than one in three people with disabilities put off seeking care, skip medications, or go without necessary equipment. Inadequate coverage means limited access to specialists, assistive devices and equipment, prescription drugs, mental health care, and care coordination. Health care facilities and services are still not fully accessible, 19 years after enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The institutional bias in the Medicaid program means that many people with disabilities must live in nursing homes or other restrictive institutions rather than in homes of their own. Do the current health care bills respond to these issues? Yes and no. The following summaries and analyses help clarify the answers: A brief news summary that compares proposed key reforms http://www.dredf.org/august-newsletter/AP-Look-at-Health-Care-Plans-in-Congress.pdf The Kaiser Family Foundation side-by-side comparison of major health care reform proposals http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm A summary of the Senate’s Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) provision http://www.dredf.org/august-newsletter/CLASS-Excerpt-July-15-2009.pdf The Bazelon Center’s analysis of how the health bills affect people with mental health disabilities http://www.bazelon.org/issues/healthreform/index.htm The L.A. Times on the role of insurers — “Health Care Insurers Get Upper Hand” http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/healthcare/la-na-healthcare-insurers24-2009aug24,0,6925890.story What can you do? See Health Care for America Now for news, updates, and calls to action: http://healthcareforamericanow.org/ See the White House Health Insurance Reform Action Guide – Summer 2009 http://www.dredf.org/august-newsletter/Health_Reform_ActionGuide_Disabilities_Final.pdf See The Arc’s action alert: “Health Care Reform: Now It’s Personal” http://capwiz.com/thearc/issues/alert/?alertid=13848606 And as a tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy, write to your Senators and Congresspeople to tell them (and please personalize): In honor of Senator Kennedy, stand firm on health care for all, including: --A public option --Coverage for pre-existing conditions --Affordability --Long term care --Full coverage - durable medical equipment “…the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.” Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 1980 Right Sidebar Resources Read the health care reform bills: House Energy and Commerce Committee http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf House Ways and Means Committee http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/AAHCA09001xml.pdf House Education and Labor Committee http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf Senate HELP Committee http://help.senate.gov/BAI09A84_xml.pdf CCD Principles for Health Care Reform from a Disability Perspective http://www.c-c-d.org/task_forces/health/CCD-Health-Reform-Principles42209.pdf NCIL Position Paper on Universal Health Coverage: go to http://www.ncil.org/news.html#healthcare and scroll down to Position Papers The Barrier Free Healthcare Initiative http://thebarrierfreehealthcareinitiative.org/ In California – Disability Health Coalition http://www.disabilityhealthcoalition.org/site/c.anJALGNlGmF/b.2293665/k.5587/Home__Disability_Healtcare_Coalition.htm Research Understanding the Health Care Needs and Experiences of People with Disabilities: Findings from a 2003 Survey,” Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.kff.org/medicare/6106.cfm or download the PDF at www.kff.org/medicare/upload/Understanding-the-Health-Care-Needs-and-Experiences-of-People-with-Disabilities-Findings-from-a-2003-Survey.pdf B. Altman and A. Bernstein, Disability and Health in the United States, 2001–2005 (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2008) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/disability2001-2005.pdf Donate www.dredf.org/donate.shtml Combined Federal Campaign #11944 Support DREDF when you shop. 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