Market

Costs factors included premiums and deductibles, hidden and out-of-pocket costs.
Accessibility included accessibility of physician' office, the availability of a low examining table, out-of-area coverage, no pre-existing condition restrictions, and the availability of the primary care physician.
Adequacy factors included the availability of competent resources and equipment; coverage for durable medical equipment (especially wheelchairs, protheses, and orthotics) alternative care (e.g., acupuncture, chiropractic), and emergency coverage for durable medical equipment; and variety of other services such as preventive care, psychiatric care, and attendant care. Those individuals whose disability occurred as a result of a work injury, or who incurred another injury while on the job, were highly critical of the inadequate way health plans handle workers' compensation claims. Attendant care, considered by many disability experts to be the cornerstone of maintaining one's functional capacity, was not afforded a high rank by many participants. While they frequently or continuously required personal assistance, many participants simply assumed that health care plan are not responsible for this kind of care.
Quality of Care factors covered many of the same factors identified in the literature including continuity of care, timeliness, respect and courtesy, accuracy of information, etc. What may distinguish these participants for other non-disabled consumers is the urgency of factors like quickness of assessment, waiting, delays in obtaining durable medical equipment, the physician's expertise in the specific disability, and the doctor's ability to listen to the consumer (if the doctor is not familiar with the disability). More than a few participants articulated that it was just as important that the primary care physician understood health problems like respiratory illnesses that it was for she/he to be an expert in a particular condition such as muscular dystrophy....