Safeguarding Health For People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Absent Federal Leadership, Others Must Step Up Hoangmai H. Pham Alison Barkoff Teal Benevides Reid Caplan Margaret Nygren Greg Robinson April 13, 2026

https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/safeguarding-health-people-intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities-absent-federal Recent federal actions have eliminated or weakened multiple programs and federal initiatives intended to improve the health and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We maintain hope that federal leaders will change course. In the meantime, we must consider new agents of authority and credibility when it comes to: maintaining trustworthy health information, funding direct services and research, and coordinating long-term health priorities across sectors.