Our current health care system is operated under a “one-size-fits-all” idea of care. It is a system which has difficulty dealing with a diverse population, and the federal health care bill is more of the same. According to the National Organization on Disability (NOD);
“Americans with disabilities are more than twice as likely to postpone needed health care because they cannot afford it. Furthermore, people with disabilities (PWD) are four times more likely to have special needs that are not covered by their health insurance.”
I can relate directly to this! My physician wants me to have a “routine” colonoscopy, yet health insurance will not cover an overnight stay for the preparation. I’ll have to figure out a way to do the prep at home.
Let’s look at the issues:
- Very few health care facilities are set up to deal with the special needs of people with disabilities. Scanning machines and other evaluative equipment aren’t set up for PWD. For example, many mobility-impaired people need a Hoyer type lift to exit the wheelchair. These provisions need to be made ahead of time, and many times, offices cannot accommodate these needs.
- I believe the majority of health care professionals are caring individuals trying to do a difficult job under a system that makes the delivery of health care difficult. And performing an evaluation on a person with special needs takes time. This sometimes creates a reluctance to deal with PWD. Further complicating things is the fact that insurance companies do not adjust their reimbursements accordingly. Insurance is one-size-fits-all, and no delineation is made for PWD and special circumstances.
- Dentist offices can be especially troublesome for PWD. In order to adequately treat someone in a wheelchair, the person needs to be in the dentist chair. In my case, I went over 8 years without a teeth cleaning due to this accessibility issue. I now have a wheelchair that tilts and reclines, plus I have a dentist who has personal experience dealing with someone using a wheelchair.
- In my experience, few health care professionals truly understand how to best treat a PWD. The rehabilitation professionals who deal exclusively with PWD are trained to do so, but many others learn on the job. Like I said, health care professionals are doing a difficult job under a system that makes quality health care delivery even more difficult.
Yes, the ADA 1990 has helped us become involved in the community. It seems, however, that the health care system needs work in that regard. The entire system needs to be looked at in terms of dealing with diverse needs.
I’d love to hear your comments!
