Health inequalities were all too evident during the Covid pandemic. Unfortunately, research from Northwestern Medicine suggests that disabled people still face discrimination in the healthcare system, even 30 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The study finds that people with disabilities have significant difficulties accessing healthcare, with the researchers believing that physicians are actively choosing to deny people care.

Denied care

The researchers conducted focus groups with a representative sample of physicians. The groups revealed that there was a clear bias towards people with disabilities, with a significant number of physicians saying that they had made a strategic choice to deny people with disabilities access to care.

“Our body of work suggests that physician bias and discriminatory attitudes may contribute to the health disparities that people with disabilities experience,” the researchers explain. “We need to address the attitudes and behavior that perpetuate the unequal access experienced by our most vulnerable patients.”

What’s more, the physicians spoken to in the study often betrayed a clear lack of knowledge about the ways in which people with disabilities should be accommodated. Indeed, many expressed an openly adversarial attitude towards the ADA, suggesting that the legislation works against them.

“The ADA is a key facilitator of autonomy and independence for people with disabilities,” the researchers explain. “The physicians’ attitudes toward the ADA were upsetting and disappointing.”

Equal access

The legislation requires practitioners to provide full and equal access to healthcare to people with disabilities. This includes things like building accessibility, assisting people as they transfer from wheelchairs to examining tables, and the provision of sign language interpreters.

The researchers cite previous work that has shown that people with disabilities often face significant challenges obtaining appointments and often receive less preventative care than their able-bodied peers.

“Meaningful improvements in access to high-quality care for people with disabilities will require a multipronged approach and should include changes to medical education, efforts to increase the presence of accessible equipment and changes in our approach to physician reimbursement,” the researchers conclude.