A blind woman in California has faced suspension of her health insurance ever year since 2010 due to receiving “verification of benefits” forms in print that she can’t read, as reported by NPR in December 2022. Despite contacting a lawyer, the problem remains unresolved.
Lack of Access to Insurance Documents Results in Missing Information for Customers
Insurance companies distribute and save documents in print or PDF format for ease and consistency, but this is inaccessible to clients with visual or other disabilities. As a result, people with disabilities may struggle to access vital papers to manage their healthcare bills and benefits effectively and keep them current.
Inaccessibility of Printed Documents
…sending me small-print mail is like hiring a mime to communicate to me from outside my window.
Stuart Salvador, a CoxHealth insurance customer in Missouri with low-vision, has struggled to access his insurance information. Due to receiving printed medical bills that he can’t read, he has landed in the health system’s debt collection program multiple times. With only residual vision, Salvador is unable to read the bills and states “I can tell something is there, but I have no idea what I’m supposed to be getting from that.” He prefers Braille, but converting a printed bill to this format takes up to 6 hours. As a result of the overdue debt, his insurance premium increased by 11%
Inaccessible Digital Documents Offer No Assistance Either
Kate Kelly, a visually impaired and hearing-impaired resident of Indiana, struggles to access documents even when they are sent via email or made digitally available. Despite requesting large-print bills, they often arrive months late. She then tried accessing the documents online, but encountered inaccessibility, as the website and documents could not be read by her screen reader, including certain numbers and information.
Documents that Need to be Accessible
Insurance companies furnish clients with crucial health and financial information that must be legible and comprehendible. If a person cannot access these inaccessible insurance papers, it can result in barriers or delays in coverage and required healthcare.
PDFs Can Include:
- Explanations of Benefits
- Billing statements
- Provider lists/ Physician Directories
- Policy manuals
- Coverage information
Which laws apply?
Accessibility is a legal obligation for both public and private companies, and is crucial in delivering exceptional service to all clients.
Federal Funding Received through Medicare or Medicaid
Insurance companies offering federally funded services such as Medicare or Medicaid are subject to Section 508 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 mandates that federal government websites, including most often PDF files, must be accessible to both employees and the public. Section 504 demands that organizations receiving federal funding make their resources accessible. Failing to make documents accessible to all can result in losing contracts and funding from government agencies.
We Are Privately Funded
Insurance companies not receiving federal funding are likely considered as places of public accommodation, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
District court rulings, upheld by the Supreme Court, mandate that websites and all its files, including those of such insurance companies, must be accessible to both employees and customers.
Results of Noncompliance
As many as 25% of clients and employees will face difficulties in accessing crucial healthcare and financial documents. “Think about your own daily life and how much you use the internet,” said Chris Danielsen, the Director of Public Relations at the National Federation of the Blind, and a blind person himself. “And then imagine almost every day you encountered something that you literally could not do.” Complex healthcare documents can pose a risk to one’s health and financial stability if they are inaccessible and unreadable.
Avoiding Litigation and Reaching Every Customer
It’s time to prioritize PDF accessibility. Proactively make your website and all its contents accessible for customers and employees to access essential information. With RemDoc, the process of making documents accessible can be streamlined and made easy for content creators, ensuring that accessibility is built into every document from the start.
