CDC Proposal to Slash Disability Questions in National Health Interview Survey Draws Sharp Criticism

Key points

• The CDC is seeking public comment on a major redesign of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which currently asks approximately 27,000 adults annually about health and disability.
• The proposed 2028 version would cut disability and functioning questions from 49 to 15, eliminating key items that identify developmental disabilities, such as questions about onset before age 22 and daily task challenges.
• Advocates warn the changes will make it harder to identify people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, impacting federal funding for State Councils on Developmental Disabilities and health trend tracking.
• The survey method is shifting from face-to-face interviews to paper or online completion for about 25,000 respondents, raising concerns about accessibility for those needing large print, screen readers, or other communication supports.
• Critics note the current survey already undercounts disabled adults, missing about half of those identified by federal standards, and the new design removes supplementary questions that helped identify this gap.
• The public comment period for the proposal ends on October 20, 2026, with the CDC citing rising costs and the need for efficiency as reasons for the changes.

Background

Recent CDC analyses of the National Health Interview Survey have highlighted widespread fatigue among U.S. adults, with 71.5% reporting exhaustion in the past three months, particularly affecting women, younger adults, and lower-income groups. These findings underscore the survey's role in tracking health trends, making the proposed reduction in disability-related questions a significant concern for health equity and data accuracy.

Why it matters

The National Health Interview Survey is a critical source of data for federal funding decisions, health research, and policy development. Reducing disability-related questions could lead to a drastic undercount of Americans with developmental disabilities, impacting access to services, funding for disability programs, and the ability to track health outcomes for this population. The shift to online and paper surveys also raises accessibility concerns, potentially excluding individuals who rely on specific communication supports.

What to watch

The public comment period for the CDC's proposed changes to the National Health Interview Survey ends on October 20, 2026. Advocates and stakeholders are expected to submit feedback, potentially influencing the final design of the 2028 survey. The outcome will determine whether the survey retains its current depth of disability-related questions or adopts a more streamlined but potentially less inclusive approach.