People with disabilities have more difficulty accessing health care and more negative interactions with health care providers than people without disabilities, according to a Rutgers Health study.
The study, published in Health Services Research by researchers from the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the Rutgers School of Public Health, examined satisfaction ratings, timeliness of care and patient-provider interactions among U.S. adults to assess the differences in health care experiences for those with and without disabilities.
According to previous research, one in four people in the U.S. have a disability. Those with disabilities experience significant health disparities, and structural inequities in health systems present barriers to accessing quality health care for people with disabilities.
Using data from a nationally representative survey, researchers examined the reported experiences of health care services by patients with varying disability statuses. According to the study, people with disabilities rated the health care services they received lower than the general population. For example, patients with disabilities were less likely to report that providers listened carefully, spent enough time with them, gave advice that was easy to understand or showed them respect.
“Our findings highlight the need for disability-competent and affirming health care, especially at a time when policies and initiatives impacting disabled patients are coming under attack,” said Elizabeth Stone, a faculty member in the Center for Health Services Research at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and lead author of the study.
One such policy is Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by any federally funded program and was updated in July 2024 to strengthen protections for disabled people in health care settings. In the fall of 2024, 17 states filed a lawsuit calling for the end of Section 504.
Researchers also found that people with multiple disabilities had the lowest satisfaction levels and people with physical, cognitive and multiple disabilities had significantly worse experiences with health care services than those with sensory disabilities.
“Addressing disparities in the quality of health care for patients with disabilities requires unique approaches dependent on people’s specific needs,” said Stone, who is also an instructor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “But ultimately, interventions at the structural level are needed to address these concerning disparities in patient experiences.”
Coauthors include Stephen Crystal and Hillary Samples of Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and Sofia Bonsignore of Rutgers School of Public Health.
