Health and Disability Policy News

LAWRENCE — Expansion of the Affordable Care Act in 2014 improved access to insurance and represented gains in health care for adults with disabilities. But while those gains were documented, what wasn’t known was what challenges still existed in accessing care for that population. A new study from the University of Kansas documents the challenges adults with disabilities still face in accessing health care and offers recommendations to improve care and accessibility.

Individuals with disabilities or who identify as LGBTQ+ often encounter difficulties in navigating the American health care system. A new study from the University of Kansas has found that people with autism spectrum disorder who identify as LGBTQ+ have greater health disparities than their peers, including being denied service or being told by doctors they couldn’t be transgender because autism would prevent them from understanding their own sexuality.

The Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment at the University of Kansas is launching its fall seminar series with a talk by a nationally recognized researcher in the use of psilocybin as a treatment for addiction, anxiety, and depression. Matthew W. Johnson from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will offer the talk at 10:30 am. Sept. 18. 

Politicians discuss the ins and outs of health care while trying to win votes, but for some Americans, policymakers do not seem to be listening. University of Kansas researchers have published a study about perspectives of individuals with disabilities on health care policy, and respondents overwhelmingly stated access to health care is vital and they would like policymakers to pay more attention to their needs.

LAWRENCE — Two University of Kansas researchers have contributed chapters for a book on the history of disability as part of public health and how insurance influences health outcomes for individuals with disabilities.