December 18, 2024- Health equity refers to all individuals having the access to care needed to be as healthy as possible. The healthcare industry plays an important role in ensuring the equitable care of people of all ages with disabilities. As of 2016, an estimated one in four (61 million) adults in the U.S. reported a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Human Development and Disability (DHDD).
There are numerous definitions of a disability; the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as someone who “has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as walking, hearing, seeing, has a record (or past history) of having such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.”
People with disabilities often face increased barriers to healthcare access. According to the CDC, studies show that individuals with disabilities are more likely than people without disabilities to report having poorer overall health. CDC data from 2019 also shows that compared to those without disabilities, people with disabilities have less access to health care, increased rates of depression and anxiety, and are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors more often such as smoking, or engaging in less physical activity.
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