We can make NJ health care more accessible. Start with these reforms

The message was simple, the point undeniable.

“I’m not asking for anything outrageous,” Kelly Boyd told us. “Just to be seen, listened to and treated like anyone else.”

Boyd, a Hamilton woman with rheumatoid arthritis, is one of several New Jerseyans with disabilities whose stories we've shared over the past three weeks in the Hurdles to Health Care series. Reporters Gene Myers and Scott Fallon have explored the many barriers the community faces in getting adequate medical care.

A 2022 World Health Organization report found that people with disabilities die up to 20 years earlier on average than those without such conditions, thanks in large part to their inability to get basic care. They also have twice the risk of developing asthma, diabetes, stroke and obesity.

We hope this seri