The Disability Squeeze: Out-of-Pocket Expenses and Unmet Needs for Disability-Related Goods and Services

• In Event: Disability, Policy, and Financial Hardship

Abstract

Few studies have quantified the higher cost of living with a disability and the extent of unmet needs for disability-related goods and services as experienced by adults with disabilities in the U.S. The objective of this research is to provide national estimates of total annual out-of-pocket disability-related expenditures, their burden, and the prevalence of unmet needs, and to investigate whether persons with disabilities from underserved communities experience disparate impacts from “the disability squeeze.” We designed and fielded a survey in June of 2023 to a nationally representative sample of adults with disabilities through the Understanding America Study, an online panel survey. Multivariate regression analyses examine correlates with out-of-pocket expenditures, economic burden (expenditures as share of household income, and self-reported impact of costs on ability to make ends meet), and unmet needs. Among 1,168 working-age adults with disabilities, mean annual expenditures on disability-related goods and services was $5,341 in June 2023, equating to 20% of household income. Moreover, 37% reported difficulty making ends meet due to their disability-related costs and 67% reported an unmet need.  Controlling for demographic characteristics and functional limitations, adults with disabilities with incomes below the federal poverty level report significantly greater burden from their out-of-pocket expenses (p<.05), while Hispanic persons with disabilities report significantly higher rates of unmet need (p<.05).  Adults with disabilities in the U.S. experience considerable financial strain from their disability-related expenses and sustain high rates of unmet needs with disproportionate impacts identified for those from other underserved communities.

Author

• Zachary Morris, Stony Brook University
  Presenting Author