Pay Attention -- QALY

Learn, remember, and consider advocating if this is important to you

Parkinson's is a chronic illness...

Measuring the "cost-effectiveness" or value of treatments often relies on a formula called the quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY), which values the lives of people with disabilities and serious chronic conditions as worth less than those of non-disabled people. 

Disability rights advocates have long fought against the QALY, banning its use in Medicare. Previous administrations have ruled that using QALYs to allocate healthcare resources may constitute a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But over the last few years, QALY-based proposals have become increasingly common, threatening access to lifesaving medications for people with disabilities and those with chronic illness.