US government plans to cut questions from major disability health survey

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 15:32 · Archive

The federal government is shrinking its National Health Interview Survey by up to half, raising concerns that disability rates will be underestimated.

The federal government is shrinking its most influential health survey to reduce costs, raising concerns among disability advocates and researchers. The 69-year-old National Health Interview Survey currently contains 490 health questions for adults. Officials expect the 2028 questionnaire to have approximately 200 to 225 questions, according to Stephen Blumberg of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who oversees the survey. The change is part of an ongoing effort to address declining response rates.

Researchers warn that removing questions about memory, fatigue, arthritis, walking difficulties, stairs climbing and the use of hearing aids, canes, wheelchairs and scooters could significantly undercount disability in America. According to advocates and researchers, as many as a quarter of wheelchair users and more than a third of people who are blind or deaf could be miscategorised as not disabled. This could prevent the government from recognising the health needs of disabled Americans or measuring the impact of changes to Medicaid or other health insurance programmes.

Scott Landes, a Syracuse University sociology professor who researches people with disabilities, said of the proposed cuts: 'We just won't know any of that anymore.' Officials are still determining the exact scope of the cuts, and they predict the final reductions will be less severe than earlier proposals suggested. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the survey annually on behalf of the CDC. It is a $40 million annual project involving approximately 30,000 households.

How it is being reported

• Americans with disabilities worry about proposed changes to major national health surveyThe federal government plans to dramatically shrink the size of its National Health Interview Survey, sparking concerns about underestimating disability rates.Clickorlando · 14 Oct, 15:13
• Americans with disabilities worry about proposed changes to major national health surveyThe federal government plans to dramatically shrink the size of its National Health Interview Survey, sparking concerns about underestimating disability rates.News4Jax · 14 Oct, 15:13

In this story: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Census Bureau · Syracuse University · Scott Landes · Stephen Blumberg · United States

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