Press Release
Rockville, MD: The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is proud to be among the 2026 recipients of a CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) Community Impact Grant. With this award, AAHD will lead a Health Insurance Literacy Academy (HILA) training for Centers for Independent Living (CIL) staff from across the state of Maryland this fall. The HILA training equips CIL staff to provide individualized support to people with disabilities as they navigate the process of selecting and using the right health insurance for their needs. AAHD is partnering with the Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council (MD-SILC) on the implementation of the training.
AAHD originally ran the HILA project from 2019 to 2023, offering virtual trainings to CIL staff across the country. The training was shown to increase the knowledge and confidence of CIL staff in offering comprehensive support to people with disabilities enrolling in public and private health insurance plans.
People with disabilities experience a number of disparities when it comes to their health care, including lower overall rates of having health insurance. Disabled people are more likely to delay care due to cost alone, even with insurance. Once insured, disabled people still have lower rates of accessing preventative health services and screenings that support whole person health. Having the right health insurance can support people with disabilities in accessing the care they need.
AAHD Executive Director, Karl Cooper affirmed the importance of this training now: “We are seeing major changes to Medicaid and Marketplace plans this year. Health care consumers are paying higher premiums and facing reductions in essential coverage and care. By offering this training, we’re empowering the frontline staff of Centers for Independent Living to be able to communicate essential health insurance changes to people with disabilities, who are likely to have higher health care usage and complex needs.”
CareFirst is a not-for-profit healthcare company dedicated to advancing affordable, accessible and high-quality care for 3.5 million people across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Northern Virginia and beyond. Across the region, CareFirst invests in partnerships, programs and initiatives that help improve health outcomes and strengthen communities. Read their 2025 Annual Impact Report.
Read the assessment of the Health Insurance Literacy Academy intervention, published in the April 2025 issue of the Journal of Education and Training Studies.
About the American Association on Health and Disability
AAHD is dedicated to ensuring health equity for children and adults with disabilities through policy, research, education, and dissemination at the federal, state and community level. AAHD strives to advance health promotion and wellness initiatives for people with disabilities. AAHD’s goals are to reduce health disparities between people with disabilities and the general population, and to support full community inclusion and accessibility.
For more information, please contact:
American Association on Health and Disability
Michelle Sayles, Director of Communications
msayles@aahd.us
301-545-6140
https://aahd.us/