HEALTHCARE IN THE UNITED STATES

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Figure 7.7: Disability and Healthcare Access

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

License: Public Domain

Of importance to note is that many adults with disabilities are able to work and earn a livable wage, thanks largely to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990 (celebrating its 30-year anniversary in 2020). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (2019a), persons with a disability accounted for 19.1% of the workforce compared with 65.9% of those without a disability in 2018. In the same year, the unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 8.0% compared to 3.7% for those without disability (BLS, 2019). This represents a decrease from the previous year for both groups.

7.7 ELDERLY

Thanks to advances in medicine and medical care, people are living much longer than those of generations past. Overall, elderly persons, those 65 and older, are expected to make up one-fifth of the population—approximately 77 million— by the year 2034 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). This statistic is significant because elderly persons are the fastest growing segment of our population. The aging of Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, will create an immense strain upon the U.S. healthcare system to include expenditures, services, and workforce.

Page | 150