High-quality disability research helps make important advances in policy, technology, and daily living to support people with disabilities. Good research requires comprehensive and accurate data, and at its best, guidance and input from impacted communities. “Nothing About Us Without Us” should be core to the disability research agenda to help undo ableist assumptions and biases, […]
The movement towards self-direction in essential programs for independent living is an important advancement for the civil rights of people with disabilities. Not only should disabled people have the right to live in their communities, they should also have the ability to determine how they receive care and support. Self-direction is a shift in care […]
Social drivers are critical in shaping health outcomes, maybe having a greater impact than medical care alone. Medicaid has been a leading source of funding for addressing social drivers of health. With deep cuts to Medicaid proposed by the recently passed reconciliation bill, we can assume that essential and already underfunded health programs are at […]
How do we best support the health needs of diverse disability communities? What can we do to provide inclusive and affirming care, while removing barriers? Determining the answers to these questions calls for data collection that reflects a broad definition of disability, and allows for comparison across other demographic groups, like race. At least 1 […]
There are over 12.8 million people who access their health care through a mix of Medicare and Medicaid funding. These individuals include a diverse group of people from across the disability community. Ensuring adequate health coverage and services for this population of “dually-eligible” individuals is a large part of our ongoing policy work. In this […]
The Affordable Care Act is an important protection that supports care for the disability community. In this ongoing blog series, we will dive deeper into our policy work for 2025. This post is being released as 90% of the ACA Navigator workforce is facing layoffs, and drastic changes to the ACA are being proposed. Our […]
During a time of tremendous change nationally, AAHD continues to advocate for the health of people with disabilities. We publish an annual list of Policy Priorities. In this ongoing blog series, we will dive deeper into our policy work for 2025. This post is being released as we’re seeing attempts to weaken and defund critical […]
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the 1999 Supreme Court decision Olmstead v LC Understanding the Olmstead Decision Twenty-five years ago, the Supreme Court decided that people with disabilities deserve to be able to live in their homes and communities. The landmark court case, Olmstead v. LC, laid the groundwork for people with disabilities to live […]
CMS has adopted a new Access Rule that will advance Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) by allowing for better access to quality care through Medicaid. HCBS is a key support for people with disabilities and those in need of long-term services and supports (LTSS) to live independently in their communities. These changes will alleviate some […]
A new bill has been introduced in Congress called the PEERS in Medicare Act. This legislation would help expand peer support services through the expansion of Medicare billing. Learn more about why these services matter and how peer support could become available to more people through this legislation. Peer Support for Mental Health Peer support […]