Health and Disability

Last week, Senate Republicans held hearings for Rep. Tom Price and Betsy DeVos, who respectively have been nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education. For those of us who care about access to high-quality health care and education, each nominee has made many concerning statements. However, if we are thinking about the impact of these two departments on America’s kids, the views of the two nominees have the potential to do unique harm, in particular to children with disabilities and their families.

First, let’s start with health care. Congressional Republicans are working hard to repeal the Affordable Care Act, although they are encountering resistance nationwide and substantial skepticism from many senators and governors from their own party. Rep. Price, the nominee for HHS Secretary, is fully on board with repealing the law. One of the provisions at risk of being repealed is the essential health benefits (EHB) requirement. The essential health benefits (EHB) package creates a required floor of benefits for all consumers—including children with disabilities—and set a new federal standard to ensure that all consumers have access to needed services to be healthy.

One important benefit for many children with autism, for example, is habilitative services. According to current regulation, habilitiative care is defined as “services and devices that help a person keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living. Examples include therapy for a child who is not walking or talking at the expected age. These services may include physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and other services for people with disabilities in a variety of inpatient and/or outpatient settings.” Repealing the ACA means denying children with disabilities access to these important services.

It may surprise you how many children have periods of time in their development when they need these services—and then may no longer rely on them. Think about whether a child meets specific milestones around speech, walking, talking or has difficulty with their environment—sometimes termed as “sensory issues” or “being on the spectrum.” These children need access to supports that will give them the tools that they need to succeed at school and in their communities. Access to these types of services at the right time can significantly improve both their health and education outcomes.

For kids, health and education are closely linked. A healthy child is better able to stay focused in school and participate fully in their education. Moreover, research shows that kids with coverage through Medicaid or CHIP, a program that covers over 43 percent children with special health care needs, are more likely to succeed in school and go on to higher education.