The Costs of Uncertainty: The DOJ’s Stalled Progress on Accessible Medical Equipment Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

Authors

Elizabeth Pendo, Saint Louis University School of Law

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2019

Abstract

Imagine seeking medical care for serious pressure sores for a year, but your doctor never examining the sores because you could not get on the examination table in her office. Or imagine going more than fifteen years without an annual well-woman examination for the same reason, or your doctor guessing at the right dosage for a prescription because there was no scale that she could use to weigh you.

Although these scenarios may be difficult for many to imagine, they are common experiences for individuals with mobility disability.¹ The Trump administration’s attacks on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its aggressive deregulatory agenda have made headlines.² This Article brings attention to an underappreciated story at the nexus of these two efforts—the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to abandon progress toward legal standards for accessible medical equipment necessary to provide health care for millions of Americans.

Recommended Citation

Elizabeth Pendo. The Costs of Uncertainty: The DOJ’s Stalled Progress on Accessible Medical Equipment Under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy, v. 12 (2019).