Slide 1
10/22/17 APRIL Health Policy Forum
Collaborative on Health Reform and Independent Living
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project: 90DP0075-01-00 

A five year grant program funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

Slide 2
The Collaborative on Health Reform and Independent Living (CHRIL)
Objective: To discover and share essential information about how health reforms affect working-age adults with disabilities.
•	We need your help in developing research and Knowledge Translation products that fully meet this objective.

Slide 3
CHRIL Institutional Members
•	Washington State University (WSU)  
•	University of Kansas (KU) 
•	George Mason University (GMU) 
•	Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) at TIRR Memorial Hermann

Slide 4
CHRIL Strategic Partners
•	National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) 
•	American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) 
•	Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) 
•	Disability Research Interest Group (DRIG) of AcademyHealth 
•	Urban Institute

Slide 5
The importance of health insurance for working-age adults with disabilities
•	Approximately 23.6 million working-age adults (11.6% of the U.S. population) in 2016 need assistance with daily activities, are limited or unable to work, have difficulty walking and/or remembering, or receive federal disability benefits.
•	Compared to people without disabilities, this population is much more likely to be in fair or poor health and to report multiple co-morbid health conditions. They are at higher risk of delaying or skipping needed medical care due to cost.
•	Average healthcare expenditures for adults with disabilities are 4 to 5 times higher than those without disabilities.

Slide 6
CHRIL Research Projects
•	Information needs of Centers for Independent Living
•	Health reform and health insurance experiences of people with disabilities (interviews and surveys)
•	Effect of reforms on coverage, costs, access and employment (secondary analysis of national surveys)
•	Knowledge translation activities (training and technical assistance)

Slide 7 Discussion guidelines
•	This is a semi-structured policy forum – we want to keep things informal, but cover as many points as we can
•	We are interested in your perspectives as a systems advocate or service provider, not your personal political opinions
•	Try to be focused and concise with your comments, we want to hear from as many people as possible
•	If you don’t get a chance to say everything you wanted, fill out the evaluation and comment card – we will stick around to provide assistance
•	If you think of something else, contact us directly; jjkennedy@wsu.edu 
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Key discussion questions
•	Does your local disability organization provide health insurance enrollment assistance?
•	Does it engage in local or state health policy?
•	What are the special issues do you or your community face with regard to health insurance coverage and healthcare access?
•	What are your unmet information, training and technical assistance in the health insurance area?
•	How can we help?

Slide 9
Some previously identified policy concerns
•	Access to health services in rural communities
•	Health insurance coverage for young adults with disabilities
•	Costs of insurance premiums and co-pays
•	Coverage gaps – durable medical equipment, personal assistance
•	Intersectionality and health – cumulative impact of disability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and social class

Slide 10
Contact Information

•	www.chril.org
•	Twitter.com/reform_ability 
•	Disability and Health Insurance Online Self-Paced Tutorial 
(or http://www.chril.ilru.org/training)
•	jjkennedy@wsu.edu