June 27, 2022

At Duckworth's Request, GAO to Conduct Study into Barriers in Healthcare Access Faced by Americans with Disabilities

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) accepted her recent request to launch a comprehensive, wide-ranging study into the persistent barriers that Americans with disabilities of all backgrounds experience in accessing healthcare, including access to medical treatment, services, equipment and more:

“Despite having strong protections under the law, Americans with disabilities face persistent barriers to accessing and receiving equitable healthcare, including reproductive care. I am thankful that the GAO accepted my request to investigate these barriers and provide recommendations on how to address them, and I look forward to working with the agency on this necessary study, which will help move us closer to achieving equitable care for all, including the 61 million of us in the disability community.”

Duckworth’s request for this GAO study was joined by U.S. Senator and Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Patty Murray (D-WA), U.S. Senator and Chair of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Bob Casey (D-PA), U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

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