The National Council on Disabilities, an independent federal agency, put forth a report in September 2009 outlining the following key points regarding health care for persons with disabilities:

• Significant health disparities and barriers to health care exist when compared with people who do not have disabilities.
• Lack of health insurance or coverage for necessary services, such as specialty care, long-term services, prescription medications, durable medical equipment, and assistive technologies is prevalent
• Most federally funded health disparities research does not include people with disabilities as a disparity population
• Lack of professional training on disability core competencies for health care practitioners prevents people with disabilities from accessing effective care
• Lack awareness about steps necessary to ensure that patients with disabilities have access to culturally competent care
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has limited impact on how health care is delivered for people with disabilities.

A NCD progress report published 5 years later in October 2014 highlighted the following:

• Employment is a key step in maintaining economic self-sufficiency
• People with a disability are employed at a lower rate 33.5% as compared to 76.3% of non-disabled persons
• Factors such as transportation, workplace culture, and technology impact employment experiences and opportunities

It has been reported by Mahmoudi and Meade in 2014 that individuals with physical disabilities have 75% higher odds of having unmet medical needs, 57% higher odds of unmet dental needs, and 85% higher odds of having prescription medication needs unmet. Study conclusions concur with the NCD that having a physical disability, living at or near the poverty level, and lacking health insurance increase the odds of unmet health care needs.

According to the CDC when comparing the health status among people with disabilities to people without disabilities in all states the following were noted:

• Persons with disabilities were more likely to report needing to see a doctor but could not because the costs were prohibitive
• Obesity rates by disability status are higher among persons with disabilities
• Cigarette smoking by status is higher than among disabled persons
• Mammography rates among women with disabilities is lower
• Physical inactivity is prevalent among adults with a disability

These findings suggest a disparity in access to effective health promotion strategies and prevention programs for persons with a disability.