This has been a tough year for patients and people with disabilities, in more ways than many recognize. As the primary author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a patient with epilepsy, I am frustrated that policymakers continue to ignore how their policies discriminate against patients and people with disabilities. One example looming under the radar is the ongoing use of quality-adjusted-life-years (QALYs) developed by health economists to compare the cost effectiveness of health care treatments, and now used to limit care to veterans.
