Ensuring full participation of people with disabilities in an era of telehealth.

The widespread use of telehealth resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to further exacerbate inequities faced by people with disabilities. Although, for some members of the disability community, the option to engage with telehealth may result in reduced barriers to care, for others, inadequate attention to the design, implementation, and policy dimensions may be detrimental. Addressing such considerations is imperative to mitigate health inequities faced by the disability community.

Health care when workers need it most: before and after entry into the Social Security Disability Insurance Program.

This study analyzed survey data on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries during the six-year window surrounding SSDI entitlement to illustrate changes in characteristics, insurance status, and health care access. We found that SSDI beneficiaries were less likely to be insured than the general working-age population, even three years before SSDI entitlement, and their uninsurance rates remained high until the third year after SSDI entitlement. Health care access problems were reported frequently during all periods surrounding SSDI entitlement, and poverty rates increased markedly post-entitlement.