The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics has proposed overhauling the National Health Interview Survey, cutting its questionnaire from 482 questions to 150 and removing items about hearing aids, fatigue, cognition, and mobility supports such as wheelchairs and scooters. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson declined to answer why disability questions were removed, but indicated the changes were driven by a push to lower data-collection costs.
Advocates and researchers warn the redesign would worsen an already incomplete picture of disability in America. More than a quarter of U.S. adults have a disability, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face significantly higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. A recent paper co-authored by CDC statisticians estimates that past surveys may have missed 75% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, leading one Syracuse University researcher to describe the choice as "between bad and worse."
The cuts also appear to run against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s stated goal of reducing chronic disease. A CDC division director's memo acknowledged that the redesign "does not provide the desired depth of information" on functioning and disability required by the survey's authorizing legislation. Disability advocates see the change as part of a broader pattern of federal actions that deprioritize disabled people's health and well-being, warning that less data means less ability to shape programs and supports.