Quality-Adjusted Life Years and the Devaluation of Life with a Disability

The National Council on Disability has released the fourth report in its Bioethics and Disability Report Series: "Quality-Adjusted Life Years and the Devaluation of Life with a Disability."

QALYs are a number that is used to represent the degree to which a drug or treatment extends and improves quality of life; insurance programs including Medicaid are increasingly interested in using QALYs to determine the value of treatments even though stakeholders fear they undervalue treatment that extend or improve the lives of people with disabilities. This report examines how the use of QALYs impacts people with disabilities and their access to care.