Health disparities, social justice, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA): Advancing human rights and social justice through law

America's hospitals were integrated through the implementation of Medicare. While in theory, the Americans with Disabilities Act gave people with disabilities “access” to health care, the ADA has not shown an impact on the quality of care they receive. Though not as rapidly, implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has the potential to improve the health quality gap and make significant social changes for the disability community. ACA mentions racial and ethnic health disparities in the same sentences as disability disparities, making it the first law to acknowledge disability health disparities.. In addition to treating disability health disparities on par with racial and ethnic health disparities, ACA includes specific data collection provisions for people with disabilities geared to gather the evidence and data as a basis for improving their care as a population, since very little data currently exists. ACA also contains specific provisions to train health care provider in cultural competence. For the first time in law, “cultural competence” includes people with disabilities. This comes at a time when Healthy People 2020 also mentions disability disparities in the same breath as racial and ethnic disparities. This session analyzes sections of ACA that promote a reduction in health disparities on the basis of race, ethnic origin, and disability, focusing on the potential for social change by the inclusion of people with disabilities. Should the Supreme Court overturn ACA, the presentation will focus on opportunities and next steps to achieve parity in the elimination of disability disparities.