America's neglected health minority: working-age persons with disabilities.

Abstract

Debates on health policy at the national level often overlook categorically the 19 million working-age persons with disabilities. Although this heterogeneous population with significantly diverse health statuses has higher than average rates of health care utilization, it remains questionable whether the demographic subgroup sufficiently receives needed types of care. As such, particular targeted solutions in health services delivery are warranted to meet the special requirements of working-age disabled persons. At the same time, access to mainstream health care financing is crucial for a population already excluded frequently from private health insurance coverage.