Category: Disabilities

Desperate for Cash: Programs for People With Disabilities Still Not Seeing Federal Funds

Almost a year after the American Rescue Plan Act allocated what could amount to $25 billion to home and community-based services run by Medicaid, many states have yet to access much of the money due to delays and red tape.

Covid Still Threatens Millions of Americans. Why Are We So Eager to Move On?

Those who are living with disabilities, chronic illnesses or are immunocompromised because of medications or cancer treatment feel that their needs are not being considered as states open back up and lift mask mandates.

Demand for Service Dogs Unleashes a ‘Wild West’ Market

Service dogs can help people with ailments from autism to epilepsy, but a trained dog can cost up to $40,000 — and insurance won’t cover it.

Health Policy Valentines Too Sweet Not to Tweet

KHN highlights some of the creative valentines posted on Twitter by health policy enthusiasts.

A Disabled Activist Speaks Out About Feeling ‘Disposable’

Alice Wong, a writer and organizer in San Francisco, says the isolation and loss of the pandemic have shown society what it’s like to be disabled.

Children With Disabilities Face Special Back-to-School Challenges

For children with special needs returning to an L.A. classroom, mask-wearing is the least of their troubles.

Reluctant Localities Are Being Dragged Into Court to Fix Sidewalks for People With Disabilities

Hundreds of towns, cities and states across the U.S. have ignored part of the Americans With Disabilities Act, and now it’s costing them billions of dollars to comply.

Low Wages and Pandemic Gut Staffing Support for Those With Disabilities

Group homes and facilities that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were hurting for staffers before the pandemic. Now the nationwide job crunch and pandemic pressures are making it even worse.

No Papers, No Care: Disabled Migrants Seek Help Through Lawsuit, Activism

A class action lawsuit seeks better care for immigrants with physical disabilities or mental illness who were detained after trying to enter the country. Other disabled immigrants without legal status are also finding it difficult to get care.

Apple, Bose and Others Pump Up the Volume on Hearing Aid Options, Filling Void Left by FDA

A 2017 law designed to help lower the cost of hearing aids mandated that federal officials set rules for a new class of devices consumers could buy without needing to see an audiologist. But those regulations are still on hold.