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Paying the Price: Speaking Out on the Disability Tax [1]

['Vincenzo Piscopo', 'President', 'Ceo', 'United Spinal Association', '.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Boxes-Wrapper.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Layout-Boxed.Multiple-Authors-Target-Shortcode .Box-Header-Title', 'Font-Size', 'Important', 'Line-Height', 'Text-Align', 'Left']

Date: 2024-06-13 14:41:41+00:00

Even where we are equal on paper, we can still be at a massive disadvantage, thanks to what I call a “disability tax.” Consider that we must adapt our houses to make them accessible. Many features that the general public would regard as conveniences we regard as necessities. Consider that our cars must be adapted to meet very specific needs, often costing us five figures to become usable.

Thanks to incomplete social integration, we are economic prisoners of necessity. A lack of consumer choice can often funnel us towards more expensive choices. Our nondisabled counterparts, meanwhile, can opt for thriftier alternatives. We can’t sit in the nosebleeds in a stadium or theater, and designated seats for people with disabilities often don’t come cheap. When I travel, I often cannot stay with friends or at an Airbnb because of a lack of accessible options. I end up shelling out for a hotel, where I have one or two options that are ADA-compliant—and pricey. De facto segregation can be very costly, indeed.

Then, there is the matter of healthcare. Americans, overall, pay more for healthcare than any other citizenry in the world. For Americans with disabilities, this comes as no surprise. We certainly pay even more than your average Joe. We require specific durable medical equipment and supplies, personal care, and specialist visits to live full and equal lives.

Our community is especially hard hit. The price of a power wheelchair can soar to $50,000. We struggle to gain coverage for them based on a narrow definition of “medical necessity.” What about what’s socially necessary for our independence and well-being? Configurations to our chairs that are medically necessary—those that prevent devastating pressure injuries, for example—are also denied coverage. The costs keep piling on. The disability tax can seem without end, at times.

Abolishing the Disability Tax Through Economic Inclusion

The moral minimum means acknowledging that these needs are a human right, not a privilege. So why are they treated like a privilege?

Inclusion means economic inclusion. Our civil rights achievements become symbolic if many of the fruits of our victories are financially out of reach. Cultural representation remains a significant goal, but it also won’t put food on the table. We need action to abolish the disability tax.

Many of the institutions in leisure and hospitality that I mentioned have received substantial public funding. This can take the form of tax breaks, subsidies, and pandemic relief money. Yet, as tax-paying members of the public, we don’t receive fair use of them. Thanks to the disability tax, we pay additional taxes on our enjoyment of them. It’s time for us to get our fair share.

Coverage of assistive devices and our healthcare needs to become vastly more robust. People with disabilities have a part to play in the vanguard of the movement for healthcare reform. While we’re at it, let’s also rethink what qualifies as a “medically necessary assistive technology” covered by insurance. Surely, some of the conversions and modifications for our cars and homes merit consideration.

More expansive coverage of assistive technology, whether insurance or subsidies, means more revenue for pioneers of scientific progress. Choosing the disability tax over economic inclusion means choosing stagnation over innovation.

Is that really the choice we want to make as a society?

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[1] Url: https://unitedspinal.org/paying-the-price-speaking-out-on-the-disability-tax/

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